Voters in Iceland rejected a proposal to restart European Union accession talks, 52.8 per cent to 47.2 per cent, and Reykjavik was the only area in the country of 400,000 people with majority support. The Saturday vote took place in the shadow of US President Donald Trump's threats to take control of nearby Greenland, after he named Iceland four times. Google Maps will show Lake America to users in the United States after Trump ordered Lake Ontario renamed, while users in Canada still see Lake Ontario.
Voters rejected a proposal to restart negotiations on joining the European Union, more than a decade after a euro-sceptic government ended the previous talks. Opponents won by 52.8 per cent to 47.2 per cent, and Reykjavik was the only area in the island nation of 400,000 people where a majority backed the proposal. The result leaves accession talks closed even though the capital voted the other way.[1]
The vote took place on Saturday in the shadow of US President Donald Trump's repeated threats to take control of nearby Greenland, which pushed some voters towards European solidarity. Iceland is a NATO member, and supporters argued that membership would give the country more protection if Trump ever turned similar language on the volcanic island. The left-leaning coalition elected in 2024 had moved the referendum forward from next year after Trump mistakenly named Iceland four times while speaking about his designs on Greenland.[1]
Google said in a blog post on Saturday that users of Maps in the United States will see Lake America, users in Canada will continue to see Lake Ontario, and users elsewhere will see both names. The company said the change follows its long-standing policy for bodies of water whose names vary by country and rests on names assigned by the US Geographic Names Information System. The update came days after Trump ordered the lake renamed on Thursday, amid an escalating trade dispute in which the United States and Canada have imposed billions of dollars in added tariffs on each other's goods, and it echoes what Google did in 2025 after Trump ordered the Gulf of Mexico renamed the Gulf of America. Ontario Premier Doug Ford answered the order on Saturday with a billboard-sized message on the Canadian shore that kept the name Lake Ontario. The White House, the office of Prime Minister Mark Carney and Ford's office did not immediately comment on Google's decision.[2]
