Wednesday's front page of Icelandic-language daily Fréttablaðið shows Iceland's embattled Prime Minister Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson being asked questions by journalists in Reykjavik's Althing, the national parliament, as the future of the ruling coalition is uncertain in the wake of the Panama Papers scandal.
Gunnlaugsson had apparently resigned yesterday amid the uproar of the Panama Papers revelations of offshore accounts, but followed that up by saying his decision had nothing to do with the leak, and that actually he was just stepping aside for an unspecified amount of time. The leaked documents revealed that Gunnlaugsson's wife owned an offshore company with substantial claims on Iceland's crashed banks.
According to Fréttablaðið, nearly 70% of Icelandic citizens also want Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs and leader of the Icelandic Independence Party Bjarni Benediktsson to resign.
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The Benefits Of "Buongiorno"
Our Naples-based psychiatrist reflects on her morning walk to work, as she passes by people who simply want to see a friendly smile.
A woman looks down from her balcony in Naples
In Naples, lonely people leave their homes early in the morning. You can tell they're lonely by the look in their eyes. Mostly men, often walking a dog, typically mixed breeds that look as scruffy as their owners. You see them heading to the coffee bar, chatting with the newsstand owner, buying cigarettes, timidly interacting with each another.
This morning as I was going to work, I tried to put myself in their shoes. I woke up tired and moody, but as soon as I left the building, I felt compelled, like every day, to say to dozens of "buongiorno!" (good morning!) and smile in return just as many times.
To the elderly ladies who are out enjoying the morning cool before the heat confines them to their basements, to the shopkeepers opening their stores, to those who had a sleepless night, to the junk dealer, to the cardboard collector, and to all the people in the neighborhood I cross paths with every morning.
And when I arrived at work, I felt better. As if all those smiles had drained away the bad mood, and I understood that lonely people need their morning friends. A smile and a "good morning" can give meaning even to the saddest and most painful daybreak — even for those who know no one may ever give them a goodnight kiss.
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Learn more about Worldcrunch's exclusive Dottoré! series here.
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