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☆ Europe’s best long-distance hiking trails
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-10 | by ( Joe Minihane | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

Slovenian Mountain Trail, SloveniaMountaineers climbing ridge on Triglav mountain, Slovenia. Enrique Ugarte/Moment RF/Getty ImagesIt’s no surprise that the Slovenia Mountain Trail has become so popular. Laugavegur Hiking Trail, IcelandInaccessible during winter, Iceland’s ethereal Laugavegur Hiking Trail opens between July and September, drawing in committed hikers from across the globe. The 55-kilometer (34-mile) route is best done over four days, giving time to tackle the challenging terrain and take in the views. Sheep’s Head Way, Cork, IrelandThe Sheep's Head Way explores Ireland's wild Atlantic coast.

Persons: It’s, Lapland’s Salla, King Charles III, Enrique Ugarte, John Muir, Muir, Muir’s, Mount Gamila, James, Alex Treadway, St James, Jean, Les Houches, Mont, Rota, Marc Guitard, marveling Organizations: CNN, Slovenia Mountaineers, Getty, Maribor, Triglav, National Parks ”, Sierra Club, Guinness, Hellas, Via Locations: Trail, Sweden, Hyssna’s, Gothenburg, Lilla Hålsjön, Finland Finnish Lapland, Finland, It’s, Hautajärvi, Lapland’s, Kuusamo, King Charles III England, England, Cornwall, Suffolk, Norfolk, Slovenia, Triglav, Ankaran, Adriatic, Julian, Scotland, Yosemite, United States, Helensburgh, Firth, Clyde, Dunbar, Forth, Loch Lomond, Mount, Zagoria, Greece, Mount Gamila, Apuseni, Romania, Europe, Camino Frances, France, Spain, Santiago, Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Portugal, Camino, St, Pamplona, Leon, Sarria, Via Uno, Italy, Dobbiaco, Belluno, Passo Falzarego, Switzerland, it’s, Zernez, Blanc , France, Blanc, Les, Mont Blanc, Fishermen’s, Portuguese, Alentejo, Algarve, Iceland, Landmannalaugar, Brennisteinsalda, Hvanngil, Cork, Ireland, Bantry, Mizen

☆ Eurovision is back, but will Baby Lasagne or Nemo triumph? Your complete guide
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-10 | by ( Rob Picheta | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

“People are like ‘OK, Sweden is the spiritual home of Eurovision’ – I see Eurovision as this moving entity,” she tells CNN. “The whole product, ABBA, is a vibe, isn’t it?”ABBA sing "Waterloo" at Eurovision 50 years ago. But ABBA are the past; Baby Lasagne, Windows95Man and Nemo – a person, not a fish – are very much the present. This year’s slim favorite is Baby Lasagne, whose arena-pounding anthem “Rim Tim Tagi Dim” describes a brain drain affecting Croatian towns. He credits his fiancée with helping him launch his career – “She’s the lasagne, and I’m just the baby,” he tells CNN.

Persons: Paul Anka, Abba –, Loreen, –, “, Loreen –, they’ve, ” Loreen, Olle Lindeborg, Lasagne, Nemo, Sarah Bonnici, aga, you’d, Music ”, Dominic Lipinski, Marcus, Martinus, ”, – “, I’m, Switzerland’s Nemo, ” Nemo, ” Joost Klein's, Jens Büttner, Joost Klein, Teemu Keisteri, he’s, Windows95Man, it’s, Belgium’s Mustii, Bonnie Tyler’s, Sanjin, Marina Satti, Hera Bjork, ” Saba, Slimane, who’s, ” Poland’s Luna, Jeff Spicer, ” we’re, Luna “, doesn’t, we’re, ” Portugal’s, … “, Alyona Alyona, Jerry Heil, Jens Bittner, ” Joost Klein, bro, airdropped, Angelina, Greta Thunberg, Eden Golan, audibly, they’ll, oddballs gunning Organizations: CNN, Waterloo, Malmo, Eurovision, Getty, Pulitzer, aga … aaa, aaa, United, Music, MAG, San, ” “ Hurricanes, Israel, European Broadcasting Union Locations: Sweden, AFP, Malmo, Europe, Armenia, wail, Gaza, Israel

☆ ‘World’s largest’ plant to suck carbon out of the air and turn it into stone opens in Iceland
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-08 | by ( Laura Paddison | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Direct air capture, or DAC, is a technology designed to suck in air and strip out the carbon using chemicals. Climeworks plans to transport the carbon underground where it will be naturally transformed into stone, locking up the carbon permanently. ClimeworksClimeworks' Mammoth plant will eventually be able to capture 36,000 tons of carbon from the air. It will increase the size of equipment to capture carbon pollution. It’s this kind of process that makes some critics concerned carbon removal technologies could be used to prolong production of fossil fuels.

Persons: ”, Lili Fuhr, Haukur, Climeworks Climeworks, Stuart Haszeldine, it’s, Jan Wurzbacher Organizations: CNN, Climeworks, Center for International Environmental Law, Mammoth, University of Edinburgh, International Energy Agency, Stratos, Occidental Locations: Iceland, Swiss, Texas, Occidental, Kenya, United States

☆ Israel could win Eurovision. That would cause major headaches for the song contest’s organizers
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Rob Picheta | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

But this year, “the presence of Israel has become such a big issue (that) I think it’s going to overshadow the event,” he said. And they are leading perhaps the tensest three minutes in the contest’s history, when Israel’s competitor, Eden Golan, performs live. It doesn’t make sense,” Bambie Thug, Ireland’s participant, told CNN of extensive rules restricting any form of pro-Palestinian statement during the event. Ireland's Bambie Thug told CNN they disagreed with Israel's involvement in the competition. Long-standing rules preventing flags of non-competing countries and territories mean that Palestinian flags are banned from the crowd, which Bambie Thug told CNN they “100%” disagreed with.

Persons: Eden Golan, Benjamin Netanyahu, Golan, ”, Jessica Gow, ” Paul Jordan, Weeks, Johan Nilsson, Israel, Noel Curran, KAN, Bambie Thug, Patricia J, Garcinuno, ” Curran, “, Fredrik Persson, –, ” Jordan, SuRie, Karin Karlsson, Karlsson, ” Elina Pahnke, Saturday’s, Mohammad Ghannam, ” Lara Yosef, ” Yosef, ” Bambie Thug, Alyona Alyona Organizations: CNN, Music, Malmo, Eurovision, European Broadcasting Union, EBU, Getty, TT, Agency, Reuters, Israel, RAI, United, AFP, Malmo Arena, Artists, Aftonbladet, Israel’s National Security Council Locations: Swedish, Malmo, Israel, Gaza, Israel's, AFP, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Azerbaijan, Russia, Stockholm, Sweden's, seeping, Sweden’s Palestinian, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, “

☆ Eurovision braces for its most tense contest yet, as protesters and artists bristle at Israel’s presence
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Rob Picheta | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

The competition – which tries desperately to retain its “apolitical” tag – has become the largest cultural event so far to be rocked by the repercussions of Israel’s war in Gaza. Those protesting or boycotting the song contest claim it is “artwashing” the conflict; others defend Israel’s inclusion, insisting the contest should not be dragged into geopolitics. It doesn’t make sense,” Bambie Thug, Ireland’s participant, told CNN of extensive rules restricting any form of pro-Palestinian statement during the event. Ireland's Bambie Thug told CNN they disagreed with Israel's involvement in the competition. Long-standing rules preventing flags of non-competing countries and territories mean that Palestinian flags are banned from the crowd, which Bambie Thug told CNN they “100%” disagreed with.

Persons: ” Paul Jordan, ”, Weeks, Eden Golan, ” Jordan, “, Carlos Garcia Rawlins, Bambie Thug, Patricia J, Garcinuno, Noel Curran, KAN, ” Curran, Golan, Fredrik Persson, –, SuRie, Karin Karlsson, Karlsson, ” Elina Pahnke, Johan Nilsson, Saturday’s, Mohammad Ghannam, ” Lara Yosef, ” Yosef, ” Bambie Thug, Alyona Alyona Organizations: CNN, Music, Malmo, Eurovision, European Broadcasting Union, EBU, TT, Agency, AFP, Getty, Malmo Arena, Artists, Aftonbladet, Israel’s National Security Council Locations: Swedish, Gaza, Israel, Malmo, Azerbaijan, Russia, Ukraine, Stockholm, Sweden's, seeping, Sweden’s Palestinian, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, “

The scene is as spectacular as it is dangerous: flowing rivers of shimmering lava and a dramatic plume of toxic gas. That image has been the reality for much of the past four months in the Reykjanes Peninsula in southern Iceland, which the country’s tourism website has called a “geological wonder where lighthouses outnumber villages.”A series of volcano eruptions began in December after hundreds of earthquakes shook the peninsula, cracking open a fissure that sent lava spewing into a residential neighborhood for the first time in more than four decades. The volcanic system has erupted several more times since then.

Locations: Iceland

A volcano erupted with little notice in southern Iceland on Saturday night, the latest in a string of eruptions in the area, threatening local infrastructure and leading the authorities to declare a state of emergency. Lava fountains burst out of the ground, and a nearly two-mile-long fissure opened up on the Reykjanes Peninsula around 8:30 p.m., the Icelandic Meteorological Office said. The meteorological office said that it had received indications of a possible eruption only about 40 minutes before it happened. The Blue Lagoon and Grindavik were evacuated shortly after the eruption, according to RUV, the national broadcaster. About 700 visitors were staying at the Blue Lagoon.

Persons: Grindavik Organizations: Icelandic Meteorological Locations: Iceland, Grindavik

☆ Iceland volcano erupts, prompting Blue Lagoon evacuation, says public broadcaster
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-16 | by ( Mariya Knight | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Iceland’s world-famous Blue Lagoon and the nearby town of Grindavik are under evacuation following a volcanic eruption in the country’s Reykjanes Peninsula, Iceland’s public broadcaster RÚV reported Saturday. Located just under an hour’s drive from Iceland’s capital and largest city Reykjavik, the Blue Lagoon is one of the country’s most popular tourist attractions. The site is part of southwest Iceland’s Reykjanes Peninsula — a thick finger of land pointing west into the North Atlantic Ocean from Reykjavik. As well as the Blue Lagoon, the peninsula is home to Iceland’s main airport, Keflavik International. Rather than having a central volcano, the Reykjanes Peninsula is dominated by a rift valley, with lava fields and cones.

Persons: CNN —, RÚV Organizations: CNN, Icelandic Met, Keflavik International Locations: Grindavik, Grindavík, Stóra, Hagafell, Reykjavik, Iceland

CNN —Iceland has evacuated its world-famous Blue Lagoon due to nearby seismic activity that suggests an “imminent” volcanic eruption, the country’s public broadcaster RÚV reported Saturday. Magma has begun flowing after “intense seismic activity” in the area around the lagoon, a popular geothermal spa known for its milky-blue, comforting warm waters, according to RÚV. Located just under an hour’s drive from Iceland’s capital and largest city Reykjavik, the Blue Lagoon is one of the country’s most popular tourist attractions. As well as the Blue Lagoon, the peninsula is home to Iceland’s main airport, Keflavik International. In November, the Blue Lagoon was closed for a week after 1,400 earthquakes were measured in 24 hours.

Persons: RÚV, Magma, Thorvaldur Thordarson, “ Organizations: CNN, Police, Keflavik International Locations: Iceland, Grindavík, RÚV, Reykjavik

LONDON (AP) — A volcanic eruption in southwestern Iceland appears to have subsided, though scientists are warning that the area may experience further eruptions in the coming months. Iceland’s Meteorological Office said late Thursday that the eruption had decreased significantly. The eruption began at about 6 a.m. local time on Thursday in the area northeast of Mount Sýlingarfell, the Met Office said. Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir said authorities hope to restore hot water to the area by midday on Friday, national broadcaster RUV reported. The eruption site is about 4 kilometers (2½ miles) northeast of Grindavik, a coastal town of 3,800 people that was evacuated before a previous eruption on Dec. 18.

Persons: Mount Sýlingarfell, Katrin Jakobsdottir, Benedikt, RUV, ’ Organizations: Iceland’s, Office, Met Office, RUV, Icelandic Met Office, “ Locations: Iceland, Mount, Grindavik

☆ Volcano Erupts in Iceland for Third Time Since December
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Egill Bjarnason | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

A volcano system in southwestern Iceland erupted on Thursday, for the third time since December, with fountains of bright orange lava visible from Iceland’s capital, Reykjavík, about 30 miles away. The eruption occurred at 6 a.m., according to the country’s Meteorological Office, on a mountain ridge on the Reykjanes Peninsula, where a significant share of Iceland’s population of about 375,000 lives, although they did not appear to be at risk. Iceland’s civil defense agency said the nearby Blue Lagoon, a geothermal spa that is a popular tourist destination, had been evacuated on Thursday morning. Grindavik, a small fishing town of 3,800 that is the closest population center to the volcano, was evacuated before the volcano last erupted in January and destroyed part of the town. It remains empty.

Organizations: country’s Meteorological Locations: Iceland, Reykjavík, Blue

GRINDAVIK, Iceland (AP) — A volcano in southwestern Iceland erupted Thursday, less than two months after a previous eruption in the area forced the evacuation of the coastal town of Grindavik. The eruption began about 6 a.m. local time, sending lava into the air along a 3-kilometer-long (1.9-mile-long) fissure northeast of Mount Sundhnukur, the Icelandic Meteorological Office said. This is the third eruption since December of a volcanic system on the Reykjanes Peninsula, which is home to Keflavik, Iceland’s main airport. The volcano eventually erupted on Dec. 18, sending lava flowing away from Grindavik. A second eruption that began on Jan. 14 sent lava towards the town.

Persons: Mount Sundhnukur, RUV Organizations: Icelandic Meteorological, Coast Guard, Met, Keflavik Locations: GRINDAVIK, Iceland, Grindavik, Mount, Iceland’s, Europe, Iceland's, Reykjavik, Sýlingarfell

☆ ‘Save the Whales’ was a shining success. Now can humpbacks save us from ourselves?
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-04 | by ( Bill Weir | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

Antarctic Peninsula CNN —About 15 billion miles from where you sit, two 12-inch golden records are hurtling through outer space with multilingual greetings to the universe from 55 humans and one humpback whale. WWF's Johnson said the whales are not harmed by this -- to the whales, the dart feels like "a mosquito bite." It feels like “a mosquito bite” to the whales, Johnson said, but what they can test for is priceless: from stress hormones to toxins to — most importantly — pregnancy rates. Ten million copies were inserted into National Geographic magazine in 1979 — the largest single pressing in history — and a global movement to Save The Whales grew big enough to … save the whales. Seth Wenig/AP“I don’t think a wind turbine can kill a whale,” Friedlaender told CNN.

Persons: Anderson Cooper, Carl Sagan, ” Sagan, could’ve, “, Ari Friedlaender, Friedlaender, ”, Chris Johnson, ” Eva Prendergast, WWF's Johnson, Evelio Contreras, Bill Weir, Johnson, ” Friedlaender, Shepherd, WWF’s Johnson, Roger, Katy Payne, David Keyton, Frank Watlington, cetologist Scott McVay, Donald Trump, ” Trump, Seth Wenig, that’s, Biden, ” Johnson, Twain, CNN “, ” Brenda McCowan, Fred Sharpe, ” McCowan, ’ ” Sharpe, Natalia Botero, Acosta, ’, Maria Camila Medina Martínez, Julian Quinones, ” Carl Sagan Organizations: Antarctic Peninsula CNN, “, ” CNN CNN, University of California, International Monetary Fund, World Wildlife Fund, Ocean Endeavor, CNN, UC Santa Cruz, Shepherd Global, Norwegian Aker, United Nations, Geographic, Whales, International Whaling Commission, Atlantic, Republican, Templeton Foundation, Whale SETI, UC Davis Locations: Santa Cruz, Colombia, British, Antarctica, Norwegian, Southern, Orkney, Bermuda, Japan, Norway, Iceland, Atlantic, South Carolina, Lido Beach , New York, Davis, Alaska, Columbia, Colombian, Tribuga, United Nations, Palau, Chile, Maldives

☆ Winning images from 2023 Travel Photographer of the Year contest reveal world’s beauty and tragedy
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-22 | by ( Issy Ronald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Mist rising from the Tuscan hills, a tiny fish staring at the ocean from inside the neck of a glass bottle, and a pangolin tucked contentedly under the chin of her carer are among the winning entries from the 2023 Travel Photographer of the Year competition. Shot all around the globe, the images illuminate both the beauty and tragedy that arise when humans interact with the natural world. Judges crowned Slovenian photographer AndreJa Ravnak the overall winner for her depictions of dream-like European landscapes, after considering more than 20,000 images submitted by photographers from more than 150 countries. Meanwhile, 14-year-old Caden Shepard Choi won the Young Travel Photographer of the Year award for her black-and-white series of photos depicting the Navajo people of Chinle, Arizona herding sheep, shearing them and then weaving with the wool. All the winning photos can be viewed online, or at an exhibition held at the NEC in Birmingham, UK from March 16-19 and at Xposure in Sharjah, UAE.

Persons: AndreJa Ravnak, “ I’ve, ”, “, Athanasios, Martin Broen, Armand Sarlangue, Shepard Choi, Lilly Zhang Organizations: CNN, Conservation, Young, NEC Locations: Siberia, Mexico, Chinle , Arizona, Pennsylvania, Birmingham, Xposure, Sharjah, UAE

☆ The best islands in Europe for getting away from almost everyone
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Terry Ward | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

Here are some of the best islands in Europe for getting away from almost everyone:Schiermonnikoog, the NetherlandsThe Netherlands is better known for canals, dikes and tropical Dutch Caribbean Islands like Bonaire and Curaçao than the sandspun isles along the country’s North Sea coast. Flores Island, Azores, PortugalWaterfalls trickle down an imposing rock face on the island Flores in the Azores. aroxopt/Adobe StockOne of the most remote islands in an already remote archipelago, Flores Island in the westernmost stretches of the Azores is a nature lover’s dream. To say there’s room to stretch out and breathe on these Baltic Sea islands is an understatement. The best islands in Europe for getting away from almost everyoneHavsVidden offers a secluded escape on northern Fasta Åland with villas with their own saunas overlooking the rocky shoreline.

Persons: Annemarieke Romeijn, ”, Eyrún, Gabriela Silva, Flores, Rocha dos Bordões, Santa Cruz das Flores, Randi Skaug, “, Torunn Tronsvang, Richard Kellett, Luis Fonseca, iStockphoto, São João Baptista, Berlengas, Arlindo Serrao, Mola mola, Francesco Curione, Lent, Skyros, revelry, – it’s, Drake, Åland Organizations: CNN, Adobe, Heimaey, puffin, Norway Visitors, Intrepid, UNESCO, Visitors Locations: Europe, Ibiza, Netherlands, Caribbean, Bonaire, Curaçao, West Frisian, Wadden, Schier, Lauwersoog, Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland, Heimaey, Westman, Hotel Ranga, gannet, fulmar, Flores Island, Azores, Portugal, Flores, Santa Cruz, Naustholmen, Norway, Bodø, Northern Norway, Norwegian, Lofoten, ”, Tiree, Scotland, Hawaii, Scottish, Oban, Glasgow, Loganair, Berlengas, Peniche, São, Grande, Alicudi, Sicily, Italy, Taormina, Skyros, Greece, Mykonos, Rathlin, Northern Ireland, Ballycastle, Åland, Finland, Bothnia, Sweden

REYKJAVIK, Iceland (AP) — Iceland’s president said the country is battling “tremendous forces of nature,” after molten lava from a volcano in the island’s southwest consumed several houses in the evacuated town of Grindavik. Johannesson said in a televised address late Sunday that “a daunting period of upheaval has begun on the Reykjanes peninsula,” where a long-dormant volcanic system has awakened. A volcano on the peninsula erupted for the second time in less than a month on Sunday morning. Authorities had ordered residents to leave the fishing town of Grindavik hours earlier as a swarm of small earthquakes indicated an imminent eruption. Political Cartoons View All 253 ImagesThe volcano eventually erupted on Dec. 18, sending lava flowing away from Grindavik.

Persons: —, “, Gudni Th, Johannesson, Magnus Tumi Gudmundsson, Gudjon Helgason Organizations: Authorities, Keflavík Locations: REYKJAVIK, Iceland, Grindavik, ”, Reykjavik

☆ Iceland Faces ‘New Chapter’ of Seismic Activity as Lava Menaces Town
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-15 | by ( Egill Bjarnason | Emma Bubola | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Living in a country that straddles two tectonic plates and has 130 or so volcanoes, Icelanders are no strangers to earthquakes and eruptions. But a lava stream that flowed into the southwestern town of Grindavik on Sunday, burning three homes — the first time in about 50 years that a residential area had been affected — was further proof that a threatening new phase of seismic activity had started in the area, according to Iceland’s president. “A daunting period of upheaval has begun on the Reykjanes Peninsula,” the president, Gudni Johannesson, said in a televised address on Sunday night, referring to the area that includes Grindavik. “What we all hoped would not happen has come to pass.”Since 2020, scientists have seen signs of increased volcanic activity on the Reykjanes Peninsula, which had been dormant for 800 years, and they have detected tens of thousands of earthquakes in recent months. In response to a potential eruption, Iceland has built defensive barriers around a geothermal power plant, which supplies hot water to the area, and around other potentially vulnerable sites nearby.

Persons: —, “, Gudni Johannesson Locations: Grindavik, Iceland

LONDON (AP) — A volcano erupted in southwestern Iceland Sunday for the second time in less than a month, sending semi-molten rock toward a nearby settlement. The eruption just before 8 a.m. came after a swarm of earthquakes near the town of Grindavik, the Icelandic Meteorological Office said. “Right now, a new fissure opened south of the first fissure from this morning,'' Iceland's Met office said in a statement. But the walls of the barriers built north of Grindavik have been breached and lava is on the move toward the community, the meteorological office said. “This continues to surprise us,” Benedikt Ófeigsson at the Icelandic Meteorological Office told Iceland’s RUV television.

Persons: ” Benedikt Ófeigsson, Iceland’s, isn't, Gudjon Organizations: Icelandic Meteorological, Keflavík Locations: Iceland, Grindavik, community's, “, Sýlingarfell, ” Iceland, Europe, Reykjavik

CNN —Iceland’s National Commissioner of Police has ordered residents in the fishing town of Grindavík, first evacuated in November, to evacuate again by Monday night after volcanic fissures opened on roads in the area. The town is also home to Iceland’s famed Blue Lagoon, which draws tourists to its steaming geothermal water and is one of the country’s most visited attractions. The amount of magma had reached a level similar to when a previous eruption occurred in December, the agency said. But in the case of the latest eruption, magma could “migrate further south” – as compared to the previous eruption – and possibly reach Grindavík town. As such, the country is accustomed to volcanic eruptions, though they often occur in the wilderness, away from populated areas.

Persons: CNN — Organizations: CNN, CNN — Iceland’s, Police, Civil Protection Agency, “, Icelandic Meteorological, North Locations: Grindavík, Iceland’s, Reykjavík, Blue, –, Iceland, North America, Eurasia

Released Tuesday, it finds the average international math score fell by the equivalent of three-quarters of a year of learning. Reading scores fell by the equivalent of half a year. Reading scores fell by 10 points. A national study in the U.S. last year found math scores fell by more than ever, with reading scores dropping to 1992 levels. It was joined in the upper echelons by other East Asian countries including Japan and China.

Persons: ”, Peggy Carr, “, didn’t, Jordan, Miguel Cardona, Joe Biden’s Organizations: WASHINGTON, —, Program, Organisation for Economic Co, OECD, Reading, National Center for Education Statistics, U.S . Education Department, Associated Press, Carnegie Corporation of New, AP Locations: United States, Germany, Iceland, Netherlands, U.S, Belgium, Finland, Canada, France, Sweden, Brazil, Ireland, Singapore, Japan, China, Estonia, Albania, Norway, Saudi Arabia, Dominican Republic, Cambodia, Carnegie Corporation of New York

Song’s quietly romantic film, starring Greta Lee and Teo Yoo as childhood friends who reconnect later in life, earned nominations for her direction, script and for both actors. “May December,” about an actress preparing to play a Mary Kay Letourneau-like role got nods for Natalie Portman, Charles Melton and screenwriter Samy Burch. MGM’s “American Fiction,” featuring Jeffrey Wright as a frustrated novelist, got recognition for Wright, Erika Alexander and Sterling K. Brown. Josh Welsh, the president of Film Independent, said the spirit awards look for films and shows that, “demonstrate the uniqueness of vision, original, provocative subject matter, economy of means and diversity, both on screen and off.”The Spirit Awards also recognize television series. Billie Eilish was also nominated for “Swarm.”Saturday Night Live’s Aidy Bryant is hosting the show, which will take place on Feb. 25 in Santa Monica, California.

Persons: Song’s, Greta Lee, Teo Yoo, “, Mary Kay Letourneau, Natalie Portman, Charles Melton, Samy Burch, MGM’s, Jeffrey Wright, Wright, Erika Alexander, Sterling K, Brown . Jefferson, ”, ” Kelly Reichardt’s, Robert Altman, Michelle Williams, André Benjamin, Hong Chau, Judd Hirsch, Amanda Plummer, Alexander Payne's “, Paul Giamatti, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Dominic Sessa, Payne, Giamatti, Andrew Haigh, Ira Sachs, William Oldroyd, Eileen, Haynes, Song, “ Oppenheimer, Maestro ”, Lee, Yoo, Portman, Jessica Chastain, Monica, Judy Reyes, Andrew Scott, Franz Rogowski, Teyana Taylor, Noah Galvin, Anne Hathaway, Glenn Howerton, Marin Ireland, Catalina Saavedra, Ben Whishaw, Brown, Alexander, Marshawn Lynch, Sandra Hüller, Justine Triet’s “, Jonathan Glazer’s, Iceland’s, Wata, Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, Josh Welsh, Steven Yeun, Ali Wong, Bella Ramsey, Murray Bartlett, Nick Offerman, Billie Eilish, Live’s Aidy Bryant Organizations: NFL, ”, Film, “, YouTube Locations: Hong, Melton, Randolph, Poland, Denmark, Santa Monica , California

☆ Fact Check: Iceland has not banned COVID vaccines
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A headline shared online falsely claims that Iceland has banned COVID-19 vaccines and cites sudden deaths for which there is no evidence, according to the Icelandic national health authority. Iceland has not banned COVID vaccines and “there are no soaring sudden deaths,” Guðrún Aspelund, chief epidemiologist at the Icelandic Directorate of Health, told Reuters in a Nov. 29 email. In 2021, Iceland along with other Scandinavian countries temporarily discontinued giving some COVID vaccines to younger adults. As of Oct. 5, 80.5% of the population (archived) in Iceland has received the primary course, that is two doses of a COVID vaccine. Iceland has not banned COVID vaccines and vaccination is recommended for specific groups of the population.

Persons: ” Guðrún Aspelund, epidemiologist, Aspelund, Moderna's Spikevax, Read Organizations: Icelandic Directorate of Health, Reuters, Twitter, Facebook, Health, Iceland’s, Pfizer, BioNTech's, Thomson Locations: Iceland

☆ Opinion: The big question about the Israel-Hamas truce
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-26 | by ( Richard Galant | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +16 min

We’re looking back at the strongest, smartest opinion takes of the week from CNN and other outlets. And then it was back to war — a conflict in which some 8.5 million soldiers from all sides would ultimately die. The timing of the Israel-Hamas truce that took effect Friday had nothing to do with a holiday. But there is also the possibility that this truce won’t last much longer than the one in 1914. “The deal arguably strengthens Hamas, allowing it to claim credit, catch its breath and regroup,” wrote Frida Ghitis.

Persons: Israel joyously, “, ”, Frida Ghitis, —, Aaron David Miller, Israel —, Joe, Biden, Christopher McCallion, ” Sheryl Sandberg, ” “, Amy Klein, I’d, Sam Altman, Clay Jones, OpenAI, Jill Filipovic, ” Rosalynn Carter, Jimmy Carter, Rosalynn Carter, Charles Tasnadi, Kate Andersen Brower, “ Jimmy Carter, Rosalynn, Brower, it’s, Bill Perkins, Sara Stewart, Maria Bamford, ’, “ Bamford, It’s heartening, ” Nick Anderson, Donald Trump, Trump, Julian Zelizer, “ Trump, …, It’s, Dean Obeidallah, Dana Summers, Martin Zwick, Catharine Fulton, Don’t, Scott Stantis, Agency Nima Elbagir, Joseph, Danielle Campoamor, Uvalde, ‘, Joaquin Phoenix, Napoleon, Ridley Scott, “ Napoleon, Noah Berlatsky, Scott deplores, he’s, ’ ”, ” Berlatsky Organizations: CNN, Front, Museum, “, Democratic, Republican, Democratic Party …, Department of State, Defense, Israel, Mental Health, White, Peanut Brigade, Federal, Twitter, Tribune Content Agency, Heritage Foundation, Agency, Apple, Hollywood Locations: Israel, Egypt, Qatar, Gaza, Iran, Iranian, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Eastern Europe, Russia, Ukraine, East Asia, China, Taiwan, today’s America, Georgia, Washington, Reykjanes, Europe, Northern Europe, Iceland, Grindavik, Canadian, Reykjavik, Fimmvörðuháls, balaclava, Sudan

☆ Despite Bans, Disabled Women Are Still Being Sterilized in Europe
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-25 | by ( Sarah Hurtes | More About Sarah Hurtes | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The home’s manager recommended that Anita undergo a hysterectomy, a major surgical procedure to remove her uterus and end her periods. Eirikur Smith, an official in Iceland’s disabilities office, discovered this plan last year during a routine visit to the home. And records show that the Istanbul treaty’s official watchdog has repeatedly criticized governments for not doing enough to protect disabled people. (The United States has signed but not ratified a separate treaty on the issue and sterilization laws vary by state). The result is that people with intellectual disabilities — mostly women — are still being sterilized, even when it is not medically necessary.

Persons: Anita, Eirikur Smith, ”, “, ’ ”, ’ Organizations: European Union, Istanbul Convention, New York Times, Istanbul treaty’s, United Locations: Reykjavik, Iceland, Istanbul, United States

☆ Opinion: Iceland’s magnificent nature comes with a monster
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( Opinion Catharine Fulton | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Hikers are silhouetted against rivers of lava flowing from a volcanic eruption between Iceland's Myrdalsjokull and Eyjafjallajokull glaciers in March, 2010. Residents have been evacuated amid an imminent volcanic eruption. • Join us on Twitter and FacebookThe monster had burrowed a 15-kilometre lava tunnel that stretched beneath the town. Not since the Westman Islands awoke to an eruption in their backyard in 1973 has an entire town been evacuated. Now everyone waits and watches and wonders if residents of Grindavík will ever go back home.

Persons: Catharine Fulton, Read, Reykjavík, Reykjavík CNN —, NordicPhotos, there’s, Micah Garen Organizations: Reykjavík CNN, Geographic, Red, Icelandic Meteorological, CNN, Twitter Locations: Canadian, Reykjavik, Reykjavík, Iceland, Fimmvörðuháls, balaclava, Toronto, Grindavík, Grindavik

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