Iceland

a sign outside of a clinic welcomes asylum seekers in various languages

Iceland fast-tracks Ukrainian refugees to residency, employment

About 5,000 Ukrainian refugees have arrived in Iceland since the start of the war, and continue to do so at a rate of about 200 arrivals per month. The government gives them nearly instant resident status, on humanitarian grounds. It has also created a website in Ukrainian to help them navigate the bureaucracy and culture.

Iceland fast-tracks Ukrainian refugees to residency, employment
Akureyri is one of the few places in Iceland with forest.

This small Icelandic city thinks big about going green

This small Icelandic city thinks big about going green
Glaciologists say that between 1995 and 2010 Iceland’s glaciers lost about a meter of vertical thickness per year. The the “Blue Blob” appeared, halving that loss.

‘Blue Blob’ slows glacial melt in Iceland as temperatures rise across the globe

‘Blue Blob’ slows glacial melt in Iceland as temperatures rise across the globe
Album covers of some of the allbums from artists included in the end-of-year music playlist with recommendations from The World staff. Clockwise, startiing from the top left corner: Adrian Quesada's "Boleros Psicodélicos," Sillvana Estrada's "Marchita," V

A musical journey around the globe 2022, a playlist

A musical journey around the globe 2022, a playlist
Haitian President Jovenel Moise arrives for an interview at his home in Petion-Ville, a suburb of Port-au-Prince, Haiti

Haitian President Jovenel Moïse assassinated in overnight attack

Haitian President Jovenel Moïse assassinated in overnight attack
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, President of Afghanistan Ashraf Ghani and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell stand together at the Capitol

US and Afghan presidents to meet in Washington amid troop withdrawal

President Joe Biden will meet with Afghan counterpart, President Ashraf Ghani, at the White House, as the two countries prepare for US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan. And, Australia's largest city goes into partial lockdown over a spike in the COVID-19 delta variant in Sydney. Also, Palestinians are protesting the death of popular activist Nizar Banat while in Palestinian Authority custody.

US and Afghan presidents to meet in Washington amid troop withdrawal
Huge green pipes on sandy ground against a dark blue sky

Latin American and Caribbean countries use volcanic landscapes to tap geothermal energy

Global capacity for geothermal energy has nearly doubled over the past two decades.

Latin American and Caribbean countries use volcanic landscapes to tap geothermal energy
A polar bear is shown in the distance standing on a piece of ice among a large grouping of flat floating ice pieces.

How the Trump administration's climate denial left its mark on the Arctic Council

Talk of global warming was out, and relations among the eight countries that make up the council, once a highly collaborative group and a steady force for climate action, became dysfunctional.

How the Trump administration's climate denial left its mark on the Arctic Council
A man stands in front of the Skogafoss waterfall in Skogar, Iceland, March 8, 2020.

2020: The year of the primal scream — and other pandemic remedies 

The pandemic pushed our collective mental health to the breaking point with unprecedented stress, anxiety and fear. From screaming and baking to writing and singing, here are just some of the ways people around the world coped under lockdown.

2020: The year of the primal scream — and other pandemic remedies 
The harbor of Nuuk, Greenland's capital.

China's Arctic ambitions have revived US interest in the region

As part of its global Belt and Road Initiative, China is investing in the Arctic — setting up research stations, investing in mining and energy, and working with Russia to create a new sea route through the Arctic Ocean. It's also stoked concerns from the US.

China's Arctic ambitions have revived US interest in the region
Chloe Verlhac, widow of Charlie Hebdo cartoonist Tignous, arrives at the courtroom for the opening of the 2015 attacks trial, Sept. 2, 2020, in Paris.

Charlie Hebdo trial begins; Notorious Cambodia killer dies; COVID-19 antibody study offers some hope

The Charlie Hebdo terror trial began in Paris on Wednesday, five years after the massacre was carried out. Kaing Guek Eav, a former teacher known as “Duch” who became the most infamous killer in the Khmer Rouge era, has died at the age of 77 of lung disease in a Phnom Penh hospital. And a new study published on Tuesday in the New England Journal of Medicine showed that COVID-19 antibodies last at least four months after initial infection.

Charlie Hebdo trial begins; Notorious Cambodia killer dies; COVID-19 antibody study offers some hope
A man stands in front of the Skogafoss waterfall in Skogar, Iceland, March 8, 2020.

Need to release stress? Scream into Iceland’s abyss. 

A new stress-relieving campaign, rooted in primal therapy, asks people across the globe to record their screams and submit them online to be played in wide-open spaces in Iceland.

Need to release stress? Scream into Iceland’s abyss. 
Observers in southern Iceland stand watch, scanning the sea for killer whales. 

Research on whales, cosmos among many studies derailed by pandemic

All over the world, the scientific community is feeling the impact of the coronavirus, both in the field and in the laboratory. In some cases, research has been paused or discontinued. For some, it means changing plans — staying put instead of going abroad, or not being able to return home.   

Research on whales, cosmos among many studies derailed by pandemic
Man and woman wearing crown stand on balcony with blue, white and red flag in front of them

What should a first lady do?

Eliza Reid, the first lady of Iceland, is challenging traditional ideas and assumptions about the role.

What should a first lady do?
Underland cave light

A new book explores 'Underland,' the deep, dark areas below the Earth

For nearly a decade, author Robert Macfarlane has been venturing into ice caves, exploring underwater rivers and crawling through catacombs. His latest book, "Underland: A Deep Time Journey," documents these travels and explores the human relationship with the "deep time" of down below.

A new book explores 'Underland,' the deep, dark areas below the Earth