"Current Situation Not Viable": Iceland To Suspend Embassy Ops In Russia

06/09/23 7:15 PM

Iceland's embassy operations are being suspended due to an 'all-time low' level of commercial, cultural and political relations between the two countries, the ministry said.

"Military Ties With China Provide Global Stability": Russia

06/09/23 7:17 PM

Russian armed forces chief of staff Valery Gerasimov said on Friday his country's strong military partnership with China provides stability around the world.

'Dollarization' of North Korean economy, once vital, now potential threat to Kim's rule

06/08/23 11:02 PM

North Korea has tolerated the widespread use of more stable foreign currencies like U.S. dollars and the Chinese yuan since a bungled revaluation of the won in 2009 triggered runway inflation and public unrest

'I Can Taste The Air': Canadian Wildfire Smoke Spreads Hazardous Haze In U.S.

06/07/23 3:13 PM

The Federal Aviation Administration paused some flights bound for LaGuardia Airport and slowed planes to Newark Liberty because the smoke was limiting visibility.

'The fight has only just begun': Greta Thunberg pledges more protests after final school strike

06/09/23 3:57 PM

Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg—who launched a global movement when she began skipping school to protest in front of the Swedish parliament nearly five years ago–carried out her last school strike on Friday."School strike week 251," Thunberg tweeted. "Today, I graduate from school, which means I'll no longer be able to school strike for the climate."Thunberg, who is now 20, first made headlines at the age of 15 when she refused to attend school during the three-week lead-up to September Swedish elections in an effort to persuade politicians to take action on the climate crisis.Instead, she sat outside the Swedish parliament with a sign reading, "School strike for climate," in Swedish."We young people don't have the vote, but school is obligatory," Thunberg toldThe Local at the time. "So this [is] a way to get our voices heard.""There are probably many of us who graduate who now wonder what kind of future it is that we are stepping into, even though we did not cause this crisis."On the day of her final school strike, Thunberg took the opportunity to reflect on the movement she helped galvanize."When I started striking in 2018 I could never have expected that it would lead to anything," she tweeted. "After striking every day for three weeks, we were a small group of children who decided to continue doing this every Friday. And we did, which is how Fridays For Future was formed."The movement went global "quite suddenly," Thunberg recalled."During 2019, millions of youth striked from school for the climate, flooding the streets in over 180 countries," she said.Fridays For Future found a different way to protest during the coronavirus lockdowns by launching a #digitalclimatestrike."In a crisis we change our behavior and adapt to the new circumstances for the greater good of society," Thunberg wrote at the time.However, one group that hasn't changed their behavior are the world leaders Thunberg has famously excoriated in a number of high-profile speeches. A study released Thursday found that greenhouse gas emissions rose to record levels in the last decade despite the promises of the Paris agreement."Much has changed since we started, and yet we have much further to go," Thunberg tweeted Friday. "We are still moving in the wrong direction, where those in power are allowed to sacrifice marginalized and affected people and the planet in the name of greed, profit, and economic growth."Thunberg has spoken up for frontline communities recently. In January, she was detained while protesting the destruction of a German village to pave the way for a coal mine expansion, and in February, she joined with Norwegian Sami activists in opposing the placement of wind turbines on Indigenous land.While graduation is typically a joyful occasion, Thunberg reflected on how the climate crisis has altered her generation's vision of the future."There are probably many of us who graduate who now wonder what kind of future it is that we are stepping into, even though we did not cause this crisis," she wrote.Whatever Thunberg's future contains, climate activism will continue to be part of it."We who can speak up have a duty to do so. In order to change everything, we need everyone. I'll continue to protest on Fridays, even though it's not technically 'school striking,'" she promised."We simply have no other option than to do everything we possibly can," Thunberg concluded. "The fight has only just begun."Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.OLIVIA ROSANE Olivia Rosane is a staff writer for Common Dreams.

'The Nation Is In Shock': 4 Children Critically Wounded In Knife Attack In French Alps

06/08/23 5:20 AM

The children between 22 months and 3 years old suffered life-threatening injuries, and two adults also were wounded, authorities said.

'World's best restaurant' to reopen in Spain as museum

06/07/23 10:47 AM

Spain's elBulli, repeatedly voted the world's best restaurant before it closed over a decade ago, is set to reopen as a museum dedicated to the culinary revolution it sparked.Nestled in an isolated cove on Spain's northeastern tip, the museum is dubbed "elBulli1846" -- a reference to the 1,846 dishes ground-breaking chef Ferran Adria says were developed at the eatery."It's not about coming here to eat, but to understand what happened in elBulli," the 61-year-old told AFP near the kitchen of the restaurant he ran for over two decades.The museum will open on June 15, nearly 12 years after the restaurant served its final dish to the public.Visitors will be able to see hundreds of photos, notebooks, trophies and models made of plastic or wax that emulate some of the innovative dishes which were served at the eatery.Adria pioneered the culinary trend known as molecular gastronomy, which deconstructs ingredients and recombines them in unexpected ways.The results are foods with surprising combinations and textures, such as fruit foams, gazpacho popsicles and caramelized quails.Under Adria's watch elBulli achieved the coveted Michelin three-star status and was rated the world's best restaurant a record five times by British magazine The Restaurant."What we did here was find the limits of what can be done in a gastronomic experience," Adria said."What are the physical, mental and even spiritual limits that humans have. And that search paved paths for others."'Passion for cuisine'Some of the world's most famous chefs were trained by Adria at elBulli, including Denmark's Rene Redzepi of Noma and Italy's Massimo Bottura of Osteria Francescana.A foundation set up to maintain elBulli's legacy invested 11 million euros ($11.8 million) in the museum.Plans to expand the building on the idyllic Cala Montjoi cove near the towns of Roses had to be adjusted after they ran into opposition form environmentalists.Adria headed to the white-walled restaurant overlooking the Mediterranean in 1983 for a one month internship on the recommendation of a friend.He was invited to join the restaurant's staff as a line cook the following year, and became its solo head chef in 1987.Adria bought the restaurant in 1990 with his business partner Juli Soler, who passed away in 2015."The most important thing that happened to me at elBulli is that I discovered for the first time passion for cuisine," he said."At the table, when the staff ate together, we did not talk about football, or our weekends, we talked about cuisine."'Right to close'The restaurant opened usually just six months of the year to give Adria and his staff time to conceive new dishes.The meal consisted of a set menu comprising dozens of small dishes which cost around 325 euros, including a drink, when the restaurant closed in 2011.A team of 70 people prepared the meals for the 50 guests who managed to get a reservation.Adria said he accepted that his culinary innovations did not please everyone."In the end they are new things and it's a shock after the other, it is normal that it makes you reflect on what you like," he said.In the final years of the restaurant, demand for reservations was so high that Adria allocated seats mostly through a lottery.When Adria decided to close the restaurant, he justified the move saying it "had become a monster"."I was very certain that we were right to close. We had reached what we felt was a satisfactory experience at the maximum level," Adria told AFP."And once we reached it we said 'why do we have to continue?'. The mission of elBulli was not this, it was finding the limits," he added.© 2023 AFP

11 Of The Best Things To Do In London This Mother's Day And Paddy's Day Weekend

03/17/23 5:02 PM

It's a Mother's Day *and* Paddy's Day double whammy, people.View Entire Post ›

11 UN peacekeepers accused of sexual exploitation, abuse in Central African Republic

06/09/23 1:10 PM

The United Nations said that 11 peacekeepers stationed in Central African Republic have been accused of sexual exploitation and abuse

17 Very British Tweets About The Very British Queue To See The Very British Queen's Coffin

09/24/22 1:25 AM

"If you’re British, this is the queue you’ve been training for all your life. The final boss of queues."View Entire Post ›