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Iceland volcano eruption begins receding after torching town outside capital

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Iceland volcano eruption begins receding after torching town outside capital

A volcano that erupted in southwest Iceland for the second time in less than a month appeared to be significantly less active on Monday despite indications of magma still flowing underground.

“A black day” read the front page headline of Icelandic daily Morgunbladid across an image of bright-orange lava fountains and houses burning in the town of Grindavik, some 25 miles southwest of the capital Reykjavík.

Although volcanic activity has eased since Sunday, the eruption centres is a high-risk area and new fissures could open without warning, the Icelandic Metrological Office said.

ICELAND VOLCANO ERUPTION DESTROYS HOMES AS PRESIDENT SAYS REGION ENTERING ‘A DAUNTING PERIOD OF UPHEAVAL’

“It is difficult to estimate how long this eruption will last,” it said in a statement.

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Molten lava flows reached the outskirts of Grindavik around noon on Sunday, setting three houses alight, although the town had been evacuated earlier and there was no immediate danger to people.

The crack in the earth’s surface that opened close to Grindavik on Sunday was no longer active on Monday, and lava production from the larger fissure north of the town was decreasing, vulcanologist Rikke Pedersen told Reuters.

“Activity has dropped significantly overnight,” she said.

GPS measurements showed that magma continued to move in a southern area of the corridor beneath the town, the Metrological Office said, adding that new cracks might appear within Grindavik in the next few days.

This social media screengrab show homes burning as lava creeps across Grindavik, Iceland, January 14, 2024. (Bjorn Steinbekk/@bsteinbekk via Instagram/via REUTERS)

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It was the second eruption on the peninsula of Reykjanes in four weeks and the fifth since 2021.

Live video footage on Monday showed glimpses of orange lava still flowing to the surface but in smaller volumes, and further away from the town.

“Unfortunately (the lava) went a little bit more south than we had hoped for,” Vidir Reynisson, head of Iceland’s Civil Protection and Emergency Management, told a press conference late on Sunday.

Nevertheless, defensive barriers built to the north of Grindavik had helped divert the flows of lava to the west, away from the town, Reynisson said.

Residents of Grindavik, a town of some 4,000 people before it was evacuated in November, said it was difficult to watch televised images of the fires.

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“This is serious, it’s basically as bad as it can possibly get. Although it might get even worse, who knows?” evacuated resident Jon Gauti Dagbjartsson said late on Sunday.

“I actually live in the house that I was born in and it’s a tough thought to think that this town might be over, and I would have to start all over somewhere else. But if that’s the case, then that’s exactly what we’ll do.”

The Icelandic government was to meet on Monday to decide on support for the people of Grindavik. “We need to put a lot of extra efforts into finding more housing, suitable housing,” Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir said.

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Paul Dano Joins Cast of Florian Zeller’s Psychological Thriller ‘Bunker’ (EXCLUSIVE)

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Paul Dano Joins Cast of Florian Zeller’s Psychological Thriller ‘Bunker’ (EXCLUSIVE)

Paul Dano has landed his next big project. The actor will star in “Bunker,” an elevated psychological thriller from Oscar-winning filmmaker Florian Zeller.

Dano, known for his performances in “There Will Be Blood,” “The Batman” and “The Fabelmans,” has joined the star-studded ensemble of “Bunker,” led by Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz, alongside Stephen Graham and Patrick Schwarzenegger. The actor, who’s been loved-bombed by his Hollywood peers since Quentin Tarantino called him “the worst fucking actor in SAG,” recently presented “The Wizard of the Kremlin” in which he stars as spin-doctor Vadim Baranov.

Currently in its second week of filming, “Bunker” marks Zeller’s hotly anticipated follow up to “The Son” which competed at Venice and earned Hugh Jackman a best actor nomination at the Golden Globes; and “The Father” which won best actor for Anthony Hopkins and best adapted screenplay (for Christopher Hampton and Zeller) at the Oscars.

“Bunker” explores the unraveling of a family as a mysterious construction project — a bunker commissioned by a powerful tech mogul — begins to infiltrate their lives. The movie is already positioned as one of 2026’s standout projects. Zeller, a celebrated playright-turned-filmmaker, has guided actors to deliver career-high performances in his first two movies, from Hopkins in “The Father” to Jackman in “The Son.” “Bunker,” which Zeller also penned, also promises to showcase his signature blend of emotional rigor and haunting atmosphere.

“We are thrilled to welcome Paul Dano to the cast,” said Zeller. “From ‘Little Miss Sunshine’ to ‘There Will Be Blood,’ Paul has consistently impressed me as an actor. He possesses an extraordinary singularity — something genuinely unique — and in that sense, he is truly irreplaceable.”

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The film is produced by Blue Morning Pictures, which is part of Mediawan, and MOD Producciones. “Bunker” is being shot between Madrid and London. International sales are handled by FilmNation Entertainment with CAA Media Finance and WME Independent handling domestic rights.

Blue Morning Pictures’ Federica Sainte-Rose is producing alongside Fernando Bovaira and Simon de Santiago of MOD Producciones. Alice Dawson also serves as a producer on the film. Mariano Cohn, Gaston Duprat, Andres Duprat, Emanuel Nunez and Fernando Sokolowicz are executive producers.

Zeller praised Cohn and Duprat as “incredibly inventive and talented filmmakers, for whom (he holds) a deep artistic admiration.” “Their film ‘El hombre de al lado’ was a source of inspiration for me while writing ‘Bunker,’” Zeller continued.

Dano is represented by WME, Anonymous Content, Relevant and Goodman, Genow, Schenkman, Smelkinson & Christopher.

Zeller is represented by CAA and Adequat in France, as well as attorneys Carlos Goodman and Mitch Smelkinson at Goodman Genow Schenkman Smelkinson & Christopher.

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Ukraine’s Zelenskyy yet to read peace plan, Trump says

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Ukraine’s Zelenskyy yet to read peace plan, Trump says

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President Donald Trump said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has yet to read the updated peace plan to end the war with Russia amid several rounds of talks between U.S. and Ukrainian officials in Miami.

“I’m a little bit disappointed that President Zelenskyy hasn’t yet read the proposal, that was as of a few hours ago,” Trump told reporters at the Kennedy Center on Sunday. “His people love it, but he hasn’t.”

“Russia, I guess, would rather have the whole country when you think of it, but Russia is, I believe, fine with it, but I’m not sure that Zelenskyy is fine with it,” Trump added.

Zelenskyy said Saturday that he held a “long and substantive phone call” with U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, and the trio covered many points, including how to end Russia’s war and how to ensure Moscow will not invade again.

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PUTIN CALLS TRUMP’S PEACE PLAN A ‘STARTING POINT’ AS HE WARNS UKRAINE TO PULL BACK OR FACE ‘FORCE’

Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner attend talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Senate Palace of the Kremlin in Moscow on Dec. 2, 2025. (Alexander Kazakov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

The Ukrainian leader said he was waiting for members of his negotiating team to brief him in person on the latest round of talks.

Rustem Umerov, the head of the Ukrainian delegation and secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, said Monday that he and Ukraine’s military chief of general staff, General Andriy Hnatov, would brief Zelenskyy on the latest developments, including the takeaways from Witkoff and Kushner’s five-hour meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Putin arrived in New Delhi last week for a state visit with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and gave an interview to the India Today news channel, where he said the negotiations with the Americans were long but productive.

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Vladimir Putin and Narendra Modi pose for a photo during their talks at Hyderabad House in New Delhi on Dec. 5, 2025. (Alexander Kazakov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

EX-CIA STATION CHIEF WARNS PUTIN USING TALKS TO GAIN LEVERAGE AS UKRAINE DELEGATION MEETS TOP TRUMP OFFICIALS

“Sometimes we said, yes, we can discuss this, but with that one we cannot agree,” said Putin, according to a transcript of the conversation released by the Kremlin.

The Russian leader stuck to his maximalist demands in the interview, arguing his war will only end when his country takes Ukraine’s eastern Donbas or Ukrainian troops withdraw.

Servicemen carry the coffin of 22-year-old volunteer soldier Yukhym Agafontsev during a farewell ceremony in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Dec. 2, 2025. (Dan Bashakov/AP)

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Zelenskyy is set to meet with European leaders in London Monday to discuss the U.S.-led peace plan. His arrival comes amid a new wave of Russian drone and missile barrages that have targeted Ukraine’s civilian and energy infrastructure.

Zelenskyy said in the last week alone, Russia launched more than 1,600 drones, roughly 1,200 guided aerial bombs, and nearly 70 missiles of various types against Ukraine.

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European Commission to unveil €1.2 trillion plan to upgrade the EU's electric grids, leak shows

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The European Commission has identified eight key energy projects under the “Grids Package” to be announced this week, Euronews has learned. The plan aims to increase electricity transmission across the EU27. The EU executive will also endorse storage and hydrogen projects.

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