Hvalur 8 (Whale 8), a fishing ship of whaling company Hvalur hf. (Whale Ltd.), has come to the shipyard to be cleaned before whaling commences in June this year. According to Kristján Loftsson, director of Hvalur, whaling is expected to begin at some time around 20th June, but a precise timetable has yet to be published.

Approximately 150 jobs have been created with the planned resumption of whaling. Kristján adds that his team is ready to go. The quota has been set at 150 finbacks, along with an unused quota of 25 from the previous fishing year.

Source: mbl.is
Image: moohaha

Labels: Environment, Whaling

A new political era has dawned in Reykjavík. The sometimes controversial, yet overwhelmingly popular Best Party (Besti flokkurinn), headed by comedian Jón Gnarr of the Næturvaktin TV series, won majority support in the local mayoral elections with 34.7% of the vote. The next highest percentage went to the Independence Party, one of the traditional “big four”, at 33.6%.

The six-month old party’s policies include a clean city, a Disneyland theme park near the airport and a new polar bear for the local zoo. We posted their campaign video last week, which is set to the tune of Tina Turner’s “Simply The Best”.

The party has wasted no time and got straight into discussions with the Social Democratic Alliance on the formation of a new majority for Reykjavík. According to Óttarr Proppé, councillor for The Best Party, a plan for meetings over the next few days was made a priority.

Óttarr says, “The Best Party is new to all of this, so it will just take us a bit longer to work our way through, we’re not accustomed to it. It is clear from all angles that we’re not going to put ourselves through any stress.”

When the conversation turned to the topic of party leader Jón Gnarr, Óttarr mentioned that he had not taken part in the morning’s meetings, and had instead got himself a well-deserved good night’s sleep, spent time with his family and gone to the coffee shop.

Source: BBC News, mbl.is
Image: hugi.is

Labels: Politics

Fiery Icelandic diva Hera Björk sent waves running through the 55th Eurovision Song Contest in Oslo, but only managed to come in at 18th place in the final with 41 points, beating host country Norway to the position by 6 points. A total of 25 countries made it to the final.

Singing Je Ne Sais Quoi, a catchy dance jingle, with pertinent lyrics such as “I am standing strong” and “I’ve overcome the sadness in my life” over a foot-stomping beat and bass line, Hera Björk managed to get the Telenor stadium jumping but failed to impress many voters across Europe. She was the sixteenth artist to perform on stage in the final.

Hera Björk was expected to do well, being pegged alongside seven other countries as potential winners: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Ireland and Turkey. Last year runner-up Jóhanna managed to grab second place with her ballad Is It True?, considered by many to be the best possible result for Iceland, bringing them close to winning without having to foot the expensive bill for hosting the event. This year she delivered the Icelandic votes to Europe.

Hera Björk’s full performance can be viewed on the Eurovision website, for those of you wishing to relive the evening’s frivolities. The official video for the song is below, so just kick your feet up and enjoy an official Hera Björk moment if you want to relive the glory.

Labels: Eurovision

In the least shocking ruling of all time (all time!), the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) has decided that Iceland has a legal responsibility to pay the British and the Dutch governments the minimum deposit guarantee for Icesave accounts opened in those countries. This means that the Icelandic government, via the deposit fund, is liable for a maximum of €20,000 per depositor, or approximately €5bn. The bank behind Icesave, Landsbanki Íslands, was nationalised in 2008 during the global financial crisis.

Labels: Banking, icesave

In recent days work has begun to install the individual glazing panels into the glass skin of the Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Centre. Glazing work has commenced on the northern face of the building, bringing architect Ólafur Elíasson’s design into reality. The glazing work is scheduled to be completed by the autumn; the concert centre is really starting to take its shape as the skin begins to define the outline and colour of the structure.

Some of the panels are coloured, and change hue depending on the viewpoint of the observer. Around 400 employees are currently working on the installation, but they are soon expected to increase to 500 in number. The completion of the project was assured by funding from the Icelandic government after the collapse the company overseeing the project, Portus Group, late last year.

Icelandic contractors are set to complete the project by April of next year. It could be feasible for the keys to be handed over and the building prepared for opening as early as this June, when an opening date will officially be decided. You can almost hear the falsettos ringing around the main performance hall already. Let’s hope they don’t shatter any of those glass panels, they look expensive.

Source and image: mbl.is

Labels: Construction, Harpa

The price of vegetables, both domestically grown and imported, has increased by 64% over the past three years, according to an evaluation conducted by Statistics Iceland. According to data from the consumer price index, the price of alcohol and tobacco products has increased by 55% since May 2007. Petrol prices rose a staggering 76% over the same period.

Farm produce excluding vegetables has seen a comparatively low price hike of 27% over three years. Other domestic food and drink products increased in price by 46%, and imported by 75%. Imported fruit and veg has always been more expensive in Iceland in comparison with other European countries, and these price increases only widen the gap between Iceland and other nations on food prices.

Inflation over a twelve month period measured 7.5% in May 2010, but stood at just 4.7% in May 2007. This follows instability of the króna since the bank collapse in autumn 2008, which included currency restrictions which have yet to be lifted.

Source: mbl.is
Image: muffet

Labels: Economy, Food, Kreppa

The volcanic activity surrounding Eyjafjallajökull is all but over. Not everything is lying dormant, however, so authorities can’t officially call an end to the eruption just yet. The development of events over the next few days will be closely followed, after which it will be decided whether the eruption can finally be declared over.

Geologist Páll Einarsson points out that volcanic eruptions usually finish by petering out gradually, rather than coming to a sudden stop. The unusual activity surrounding the eruption under Eyjafjallajökull has, however, diminished significantly, giving rise to perhaps premature claims of an end to the eruption. Páll says that the current eruption is merely a small chapter in the history of Eyjafjalljökull and of Icelandic volcanic activity, and that although this chapter appears to have come to an end, history will nevertheless continue.

Asked about a potential eruption of Katla in the near future, Páll says that there is currently no evidence to suggest that will be case. By way of comparison, there are indications that both Grímsvötn and Hekla are “ready” to erupt at any moment; the same cannot be said for Katla, although she is certain to erupt sooner or later (even if it just a small eruption).

Scientists are closely following events as they develop, saying that nothing indicates the eruption will start up again, but at this point it would be unwise to discount that possibility completely. The steam cloud is still visible at the site of the vent, but no ashfall forecasts have been issued.

According to Civil Protection Department chief Víðir Reynisson, efforts will now focus on clean-up of the ash that has fallen across the region and clean-up assistants will continue their work as long as necessary. The CPD are still paying particular attention to the possibility of mudslides in the area, which could occur if there is a lot of rainfall on the layers of fallen ash.

The road into Þórsmörk is still closed according to Víðir, but repairs to the road are expected to be completed by the Icelandic Road Administration over the weekend. The tourist situation will be closely followed, and it is expected that tourist traffic will be allowed on the road into Þórsmörk with restrictions from next weekend.

Although there has been no ashfall in recent days, there is always the prospect of dry ash entering the atmosphere as it is carried up by the wind, which could lead to poor air conditions and low visibility. Morgunbláðið therefore recommends readers to keep up-to-date with the measurements of airborne particles on the Vista website, which would be wise for anyone planning to visit the area in the near future.

Source: mbl.is
Image: anjči

Labels: Eyjafjallajökull

“Naturally, we are talking about shit,” says Ingimar Ingimarsson, member of the executive committee for Hafnarfjörður. The community has been trying to get Garðarbær to pay for the use of the Hafnarfjörður sewage system for the past five years, but to no avail.

A retail park which belongs to Garðabær situated on the foothills of Hafnarfjörður, has been using the system, placing it under considerable strain according to Ingimar. IKEA is amongst those stores in the park connected to the Hafnarfjörður system.

It was at long last agreed at a Garðabær council meeting that the mayor of Garðabær should discuss the issue of paying off past costs for using the system with the mayor of Hafnarfjörður, and come to an agreement on continued cooperation.

Asked whether the matter should be in the hands of civil servants, rather than the mayors themselves, Ingimar said that the civil servant route had already been tried out.

The costs which are being discussed total about 20 million krónur, “if they are fully paid”, adds Ingimar. Exactly how much the citizens of Garðabær ought to pay towards the 4 billion krónur sewage system is widely disputed.

Ingimar says that in addition to this, Garðabær council has billed companies in the area for using the system, without Hafnarfjörður council being aware.

“We have had this item on the agenda many times,” says Ingimar, meaning to say that the committee members have become extremely irritated by this issue, having brought it up repeatedly with the Garðarbær committee.

“At the end of the day, Garðabær residents are going to the the toilet at the expense of those who live in Hafnarfjörður,” Ingimar said about this long-lasting bone of contention between the communities. The dispute continues.

Source: visir.is
Image: lakelife

Labels: Garðabær, Hafnarfjörður, Politics

Sources: IcelandReview, Icelandic Institute of Natural History

Labels: Environment, Nature

The concisely-named Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, or OECD, says in a new report that all the Nordic countries are now in a period of economic recovery. The organisation states that Iceland has achieved impressive results in its efforts to tackle the consequences of the bank collapse in the autumn of 2008. According to its report, economic growth is set to start again in the later part of this year, and should clock in at about 2.3% next year. Conversely, the rate of recession this year is expected to be around 2.2%.

Labels: Economy, Kreppa

Well here’s testament to Iceland’s global influence. Or at least it’s Northern European influence. One Steinunn Sveinsdóttir Barkved (right), an Icelandic resident of the town of Sola, not far from Stavanger in Norway, is said to be in no doubt that certain stones that have turned up on the beach close to her home, originate from the volcanic eruption under Eyjafjallajökull.

“I spotted three unusual stones on the beach, which I was completely sure were lumps of lava or pumice. What’s more, there was a sulphur smell coming from one of them. When I came back to the beach later on, I noticed that more of these lumps had washed ashore.”

Steinunn is half-Icelandic and says she knows Iceland very well, but has lived in Norway for a while. She has no doubt that what she found are lumps of lava ad that they couldn’t be anything Norwegian. The distance from the southernmost tip of Iceland to the town of Sola is about 1,374 km (854 miles, very rough Google Earth estimate), so the pieces of lava would have travelled at least this far to reach the coast of Norway.

Source: mbl.is
Image: mbl.is

Labels: Eyjafjallajökull, Norway

If you didn't know what you were doing with your Saturday night this week, you do now (and if you did, you might want to cancel your plans). Iceland has qualified for the Eurovision Song Contest final and will competing in Oslo this weekend. Iceland's entry, "Je ne sais quoi", will be performed by Hera Björk Þórhallsdóttir. The other nine qualifiers announced today were Bosnia-Herzegovina, Moldova, Russia, Greece, Portugal, Belarus, Serbia, Belgium and Albania.

Last year, Iceland came in second at the Eurovision Song Contest in Moscow with "Is It True?" by Jóhanna Guðrun Jónsdóttir.

Check out the video below to see Iceland's entry for this year.

Publicity events for the all-new and all-shiny advertising campaign Inspired by Iceland will be held in key tourist markets across Europe this week, marking the start of a new promotion aimed at boosting tourism in the country. Events will be held for journalists and travel fans in Milan, Barcelona, Frankfurt, Paris, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Stockholm and Oslo. In addition, it is expected that preparations for media events in the USA will shortly be getting underway. The campaign was announced today on the website of the Icelandic Ministry for Foreign Affairs (PR in Icelandic).

At the meetings, foreign ambassadors of Iceland for the respective countries — Þórir Ibsen, Gunnar Snorri Gunnarsson, Stefán Haukur Jóhannesson, Sturla Sigurjónsson, Guðmundur Árni Stefánsson and Sigríður Dúna Kristmundsdóttir — will be in attendance. Geologists Ari Trausti Guðmundsson and Rikke Pedersen will also fly the flag for Iceland, alongside Icelandic tourism representatives Davíð Jóhannson and Einar Bollason. They will speak about the eruption under Eyjafjallajökull and play up Iceland as a summer destination for tourists.

There will be a particular emphasis on encouraging foreign journalists to hop over to Iceland and write about the country as a tourist destination, as well as encouraging visits from foreign tour operators to familiarise themselves with the state of affairs in the country.

The campaign follows a particularly negative year for Iceland PR wise, with the bank collapse and more recently the volcanic eruption putting tourists off visiting the country. Since the economic crisis, advertisements by Icelandair have appeared in the UK and USA encouraging tourists to take advantage of the best exchange rate in years.

The tourism campaign was launched on Friday and will run throughout May and July. The campaign is truly multi-faceted and 21st century, with adverts being displayed (video in Icelandic) throughout the Tube network in London, UK newspapers, online (see right), and on social networking sites. Following the eruption and chaos surrounding flights in Europe, many tourists planning to visit Iceland in the summer cancelled or postponed their travel plans. It seems that the Inspired by Iceland campaign is aiming to counter some of the bad PR.

I myself will be flying to Iceland next week, and I am fully behind the campaign. Iceland needs tourists now more than ever, and it is the perfect time to come and see everything the country has to offer. Even the singed ram testicles.

Source: mbl.is
Image: Inspired by Iceland

Labels: Tourism

Well this will come as a relief for many. Scientists and top geology boffins are now claiming that activity surrounding the Eyjafjallajökull eruption has died down significantly and that the volcano under the glacier ‘appears dormant’.

According to measurements conducted by heat-sensitive cameras, the temperature inside the volcano has dropped to 100°C and that is just producing steam, rather than ash and lava. The measurements were taken by the Icelandic Met Office and University of Iceland.

A memo issued by the Met Office today confirms that the activity remains at minimal levels. The steam cloud which surrounds the eruption site contains no visible ash, and is around 2km in height. Levels of activity continue to decrease and are approaching those surrounding the area before the eruption. Earthquake activity has also dropped significantly; however one tremor from the volcano was detected last night.

No ashfall forecasts were issued today and no lightning has been detected by instruments. The civil defence department of the National Police Commission says that spirits have lifted in the Suðurland region and that optimism prevails among those who live in the areas surrounding the glacier. This will give farmers in these areas a period of (hopefully permanent) respite and the opportunity to get to work removing all that ash from their land.

Sources: guardian.co.uk, mbl.is
Image: anjči

Labels: Eyjafjallajökull

The Social Democratic Party is maintaining a lead of 46.1% of voters, according to an opinion poll conducted by the party in the community of Hafnarfjörður. The Independence Party came in second with 33.6% of voter support, followed by 17.9% for the Left Greens. The Progressive Party tailed the procession with 2.4% voter support. If these were the results of the election, the Social Democrats would win five seats, the Independence Party four and the Left Greens two.

Asked about the position of chairman of the district council, 68% of Hafnarfjörður residents said that they wanted Lúðvík Geirsson to remain in his position as mayor of Hafnarfjörður, according to a press release from the Social Democrats. He is in sixth place on the list of candidates for the party in Hafnarfjörður and would therefore not win the mayoral election, and according to the poll the majority has all but disappeared in the town. The Social Democrats currently hold six of the eleven available seats.

As the situation stands, 69% of residents would prefer to delay debt repayments rather than cutting back on welfare services.

The social sciences department of the University of Iceland conducted the poll for the Social Democratic Party over the period of the 3rd–12th May 2010. Respondents could choose any of the chairmen of the parties who are running in Hafnarfjörður that they wanted for the position of mayor in the upcoming election. Valdimar Svavarsson (17%), Guðrún Ágústa Guðmundsdóttir (9%) and Valdimar Sigurjónsson (1%) came behind Lúðvík Geirsson in the mayoral opinion poll. Approximately 5% of respondents chose someone else.

Source: mbl.is

Labels: Hafnarfjörður, Politics

Besti flokkurinn. You may have heard of them, you may have not. It is the fruit of Næturvaktin’s Jón Gnarr’s labours, in attempt to spice up Icelandic city politics. His joke party, founded this year, is running for the local election in Reykjavík this year. If recent opinion polls are anything to go by, then the Besti flokkurinn is by far the most popular political party out of all those running for the local election.

The modestly-named “Best Party” has released their campaign video, which you can watch above. The Tina Turner-themed video extols the wishes of those in Besti flokkurinn, which presumably reflect most Reykjavíker’s hopes for their city, and makes for hilarious if pertinent viewing. If nothing else, I think most people who live in the city would relish the prospect of Georg Bjarnfreðarson as their leader.

Labels: Humour, Politics

The Alþingi General Committee has received over 30 statements from organisations, religious groups, institutions and individuals concerning the Minister of Justice’s bill for a universal marriage law. It is apparent that public opinion has changed. The bill proposes removing any reference to gender that exists in the current law.

Many welcome the bill, including The Icelandic Confederation of Labor (ASÍ), The Association of Parents and Relatives of Gays and Lesbians (FAS), The Free Church of Reykjavík, Q – Society of Queer Students, The Ombudsman for Children, and The Iceland Human Rights Centre. However, the majority of religious groups remain strongly opposed to the bill.

The Icelandic Church of Christ is of the opinion that it is right and and incumbent that a marriage law should include the words man and woman, as well as the word couple (about a man and woman), as current law has stated for a long time.

A statement from the Church then goes on to say that the bill goes against Christian doctrine. The Icelandic Church of Christ considers the law both injudicious and unrighteous “both against us and thousands of other Icelanders who have a similar outlook to us. We are unmistakably looking at discrimination [against us], which we protest against.”

In a statement from The Catholic Church of Iceland, the Church declares that they cannot agree to the proposed changes. “No human authority has permission to change the natural laws set down directly by the Creator. In this instance, The Catholic Church of Iceland intends to stay true to the law of God, as is our obligation, preach health and natural teachings on the place of humans and stick to the precedent set by Christ, as we have always done.”

In the opinion of the Gospel Church of Iceland there is no need for a new marriage law. “The one which we already have fits in perfectly with the understanding of Christians in the sense that marriage and matrimony are a foundation between men and women”, it said in its statement.

The Society of Icelandic Priests (PÍ) considers the core of the bill, that one law validates the institution of marriage for all those wishing to enter into holy matrimony, an important rights amendment.

It seems that the consensus of public opinion remains in favour of the bill, whilst Christian groups remain in strong opposition to any change in marriage law.

Source: mbl.is
Image: fallwithme

Labels: Church, Human rights

The number of companies with both genders on boards of directors decreased by 16 last year, despite the fact that the number of registered companies has risen by over two thousand over the same time period. This means that the percentage of companies with both genders on their boards decreased from 15% to 14%.

The figures showing the decrease were published on Wednesday afternoon, at the annual general meeting of the The Icelandic Association of Women Entrepreneurs (FKA). In total, 30,337 companies were surveyed last year, compared to 32,515 this year. Companies with men exclusively in charge numbered 21,940 last year, in comparison with 23,291 this year, an increase of 1,801, whereas those companies with just women in charge totalled 4,275 last year, or 4,668 this year, increasing by 393.

A cooperation agreement was signed in May last year between The Icelandic Association of Women Entrepreneurs, The Confederation of Icelandic Employers (SA) and The Iceland Chamber of Commerce (VI), with a view to increasing female presence amongst the leaders of the Icelandic economy, so that by 2013 the percentage of each gender on boards would be no less than 40%. At the same time, it was agreed that the company CreditInfo would perform annual assessments of the results of the agreement; the company published its first assessment today.

On the council of Virkjum konur og karla (“Let’s motivate women and men”), a meeting held in January 2010, it was also decided to survey the number of companies conforming to the specified gender quota of at least 40% of each gender by 2013. The assessment showed that companies with a gender ratio of 40:60 women to men, or one third of a board consisting of three members, totalled 4,321. These companies have increased in number by 22, and therefore now total 4,323.

Source: mbl.is
Image: gcoldironjr2003

Labels: Employment, Gender, Women

The city council today agreed to the Left Green councillors’ proposition for an annual open citizens’ meeting on the streets of the city of Reykjavík, where the elected representatives would answer their questions. The story came to light through a party announcement today.

It has emerged that the aim of the proposition is to respond to the societal demands for democratic administrative practices, to encourage those who live in the city to increase their influence and participation in political discussions, and to strengthen the relationship between the elected representatives and those who elected them.

The meetings would be first and foremost platforms for direct communication between city residents and the elected representatives, on whatever issues may arise. It is expected that they would be arranged by neighbourhood councils in consultation with residents’ associations and local service centres. The proposition is part of the drive to improve services and secure the city residents’ trust in them.

Source: mbl.is
Image: vg.is

Labels: Politics

As our dearest Eyjafjallajökull volcano continues to spew out ash into the atmosphere, the appropriate authorities have decided that there will be no internal flights from Reykjavík airport as the ash cloud is too dense to allow safe flying. As of Sunday evening, Keflavík International Airport remains open, and aeroplanes are flying into the airport from the USA and are expected to fly in from Europe on Monday morning.

Iceland relies heavily on its domestic flights, as there is no railway system in the country and it is the fastest way to travel between large population centres.

According to information from the Icelandic Met Office, it is uncertain whether flights from Keflavík International Airport will operate today, and they expect to be able to shed a little more light on the situation by midday. It is possible that the airports in Akureyri and Egilsstaðir will need to be closed this evening, although there is no confirmation of this as yet. The ash is mainly spreading to the north, one spur heading over Sprengisandur, whilst another is heading south and is just encroaching on the Faroe Islands.

The situation is highly dependent on wind direction, the ash will affect any airport if the wind blows it in that direction and in a high enough quantity. The decision was made today to close most UK airports, those in the north of the country being closed first. Limited services are flying in and out of Gatwick and Heathrow airports, and they expect to be able to resume full services later today.

As the situation remains highly changeable, we could see these airports reopen as others close as the wind direction changes and carries the ash away. Volcanic ash is as famously difficult to predict as the lottery numbers, so keep an eye on the situation if you’re expecting to fly soon!

Source: mbl.is

Labels: Eyjafjallajökull, Transport

Geologist Haraldur Sigurðsson considers it likely that an extensive fissure in the earth’s crust lies underneath Eyjafjallajökull. Earthquakes, which began there on Friday, appeared in regular lines oscillating from the southwest to the northeast.

Haraldur says on his website that the series of earthquakes that began on Friday is somewhat unusual. “Fourteen quakes appeared in regular lines going from the southwest to the northeast, as the image from the Icelandic Met Office shows [see right]. This isn’t the first time that earthquakes have shown this trend, but this is by far the most significant example. The earthquakes are relatively small, and range from 1 to 27km in depth. It is likely that they follow a specific fissure, fault or open corridor in the crust. This trend is really the main fissure trend in the southern part of the volcanic zone.”

What this means for the eruption is unknown, and it doesn’t really help to predict any future activity. It does, however, shed a light on the source of volcanism in the area and helps geologists further their knowledge of a very geologically active land.

Source: mbl.is
Image: Icelandic Met Office

Labels: Eyjafjallajökull

Ash, which fell over the Westman Islands yesterday, is being carried up into the air with even the slightest of winds, according to residents of Heimaey (pictured below right) and has led to the closure of the island chain’s swimming facility. There has been little ashfall over the archipelago today, but with any slight movement of the wind, the ash becomes so disturbed that it becomes difficult for residents to see from one house to another.

A new outdoor area was opened at the Westman Islands Swimming Pool last week, but it has now become necessary to close it because of the ashfall, according to the website Eyjafréttir. It is unclear how long it will take to clean up the area, as it is covered in a tartan-like material which can take a long time to clean. When volcanic ash comes into contact with water, it turns into a thick sludge which becomes concrete when it dries out, fusing together and requiring heavy plant to remove some instances.

In addition to this, the deep pool, the childrens’ pool, the three hotpots and the waterslides will all need to be cleaned. For those of you unfamiliar with the cultural significance of the swimming pool in Iceland, think of this incident as akin to a local British pub or American bar being closed temporarily. Whilst the Westman islanders are sure to be more than peeved by the ash’s unwelcome presence, this will at least provide some temporary work for a bored teenage islander. Get scraping!

Source: mbl.is
Image: michaelclarke

Labels: Eyjafjallajökull, Westman Islands

The Glitnir resolution committee is expecting that Jón Ásgeir Jóhannesson will release a list of all of his assets as soon as the weekend is over, in response to the summons that were delivered to him earlier this week.

Jón Ásgeir’s solicitors received summons from the winding-up committee on Thursday, but according to the law he has two days to produce a list of all of his assets. Because the deadline passed over the weekend, the winding-up committee decided to give Jón Ásgeir until Monday to draw up his list.

If he does not produce the list in time, or he gives false information, he could face a stint in prison of up to 3 years in the UK.

In the summons from the winding-up committee, Jón Ásgeir is accused of having effectively taken over control of the bank in April 2007 and of having, alongside others, used his dominance over the bank to issue enormous loans to other companies that he and his business associates presided over.

Source: mbl.is
Image: mbl.is

Labels: Kreppa

Sláturfélag Suðurlands (SS) has offered to slaughter Suðurland farmers’ livestock next week. Guðmundur Svavarsson, production manager for SS in Hvolsvöllur, says that today every departmental manager in the area was contacted in the area surrounding Eyjafjallajökull.

“We will able to provide it, if farmers want us the slaughter their livestock next week. Then we will solve [the problem],” said Guðmundur in an interview with Morgunblaðið.

This follows continued ashfall in the area, which has forced farmers to move their livestock indoors.

Source: mbl.is

Labels: Eyjafjallajökull

Sigurður Einarsson, former CEO of Kaupþing Bank, has hired a top British solicitor who specialises in defending white-collar workers, namely Ian Burton (pictured right). Sigurður appears to be in safe hands, Chambers UK claims “[Ian] knows everyone and has seen it all before, which is very comforting to clients,” and that he’s “the iconic and polished all rounder.” No lightweight then. Sigurður was called in for questioning this week, yet remains in London.

According to Burton, Sigurður cannot be arrested in the UK because his arrest warrant is invalid outside of Iceland. The warrant was issued by Interpol at the wish of the Special Investigative Committee, an Icelandic body set up to investigate the financial collapse. Sigurður remains on Interpol’s wanted list, and so can lay claim to be being one of the few Icelanders to ever appear on the blessed list.

Sigurður has said that he will return to Iceland on the condition that he is not immediately arrested upon arrival. However, if evidence of any crime is found, then the Icelandic authorities can appeal to the UK for him to be extradited. With Burton on his side though, this may be more unlikely than likely. A quick search on the Internet reveals that Burton and his legal firm has been involved in defending many serious fraud cases in recent years, with such diverse clients as UK Members of Parliament and singer Amy Winehouse. We’ll keep you posted as this case develops, should be an interesting ride!

Sources: mbl.is, telegraph.co.uk
Image: BCL BurtonCopeland

Labels: Crime, Kreppa

The ever-persistent ash cloud from the volcano under Eyjafjallajökull is progressing steadily westwards, last night falling on the town of Selfoss. The ash came down with rain, settling everywhere. Previously, the wind has blown the ash cloud in a predominately east to southeast direction, meaning that the cloud has avoided large population centres in Iceland and instead caused flight interruptions across Europe.

The wind direction in Suðurland changed yesterday evening to an easterly, bringing with it ash which began to fall across the county of Rangárvallasýsla and over the town of Selfoss, the largest town in southern Iceland. “The eastern part of the sky was pitch black,” said Magnús Páll Sigurjónsson, a policeman in Suðurland, in an interview with Morgunblaðið.

“With the ash falling together with rain, the cars look like they have been driven through a puddle of mud,” he continues, adding that the sky appears grey-brown to the south, indicating that ash is in the air. The ashfall is similar to that surrounding the 1980 eruption of Hekla.

“The raindrops are black. I popped out of the car for a moment, and I noticed that my raincoat bore the mark of the ashfall when I got back in,” said Steinunn Ósk Kolbeinsdóttir, a reporter for Morgunblaðið. There has been heavy ashfall in Hvolsvöllur this morning, where ash covers cars and houses. “There was black rain and everything was dark,” siad Steinunn. “It’s clearing up a bit now, but there’s still a black ashcloud visible over Landeyjar towards the sea.”

Source: mbl.is, mbl.is
Image: Icelandic Coast Guard

Labels: Eyjafjallajökull

According to British newspaper The Guardian, a lawsuit to the tune of $2bn (£1.3bn, €1.6bn) was launched against Baugur boss Jón Ásgeir Jóhannesson and his executives yesterday for their apparent plans to “siphon cash out of [Glitnir]”. In addition to this, the Glitnir winding-up committee are suing PriceWaterhouseCoopers, the bank’s auditors, for negligence.

At the request of a British judge, Jón Ásgeir’s assets have been frozen the world over. The court served papers to Jón Ásgeir in his Manhattan apartment last night. His partner, Ingibjörg Pálmadóttir, is not off the hook either. She faces court after failing to repay a $30m (£20.3m, €23.6m) loan to open a luxury boutique hotel in Reykjavík.

The lawsuits are a culmination of an investigation into the causes of the bank’s collapse by forensic accountants Kroll.

Sources: mbl.is, guardian.co.uk
Image: Wikipedia

Labels: Baugur, Kreppa

Team members from the epically-named Norwegian Economic Crime Unit will come to Iceland in June to assist their colleagues with the investigation into affairs surrounding the Icelandic banking system. Geir Kjetil Finneide, the unit’s senior officer, is remaining mum on exactly how many of his specialist team will be sent to Iceland to join the investigation.

Finneide said in an interview with the Norsk Telegrambyrå that is it not at all unusual for members of his team to travel to other countries to offer their assistance to their international colleagues. What would be special in this case, however, is the size of the investigation, and the sheer fact that such a large portion of the banking system is involved.

Labels: Kreppa, Norway

The activity surrounding the Eyjafjallajökull eruption shows little sign of slowing down, according to a report published by Morgunblaðið today. The volcanic activity, described as “steady” by the earth sciences department of the University of Iceland, doesn’t seem to be giving anything away about the possibility of the eruption ending any time soon. Looks like the person selling vials of the ashy stuff can look forward to a steady supply of stock for the foreseeable future.

Geologist Magnús Tumi Guðmundsson maintains that the eruption is a special one compared to others in Iceland, because of both its duration and the fact that activity has increased since it first began erupting. He also warns that people should prepare themselves for the fact that the eruption may take a long time to subside.

The volcano underneath Eyjafjallajökull is often described as Hekla’s little sister (herself described as the gateway to hell). One can only hope that she will not wake up her bigger sister with her rumblings any time soon, or not, depending on whether you are of a geological persuasion. Those of us with flights booked for the summer can take solace in the fact that flight rules in airspace containing volcanic ash were today relaxed in the UK.

Source: mbl.is, guardian.co.uk
Image: anjči

Labels: Eyjafjallajökull, Geology

An unusual traffic-related accident took place at around midday today in Sauðárkrókur, when a jeep was driven straight into the side of a glass building. According to the fire brigade, the driver was taken to the health centre in Sauðárkrókur for treatment, and he has luckily not been seriously injured. No-one else was hurt as a result of the incident.

The car was driven into the recently-built extension of the Mjólkursamlag Kaupfélags Skagfirðinga on Skagfirðingabraut, which houses a café and canteen. The fire brigade are grateful that no-one was standing in front of the car as it smashed through the side of the building.

Dairy worker Helgi S. Ragnarsson reflects on the day’s events: “I’ve been here for 34 years and I don’t remember a single time when a car has driven into here.”

The driver was said to be feeling feint at the time of the crash. The incident came to light at 12.30 today. Here’s hoping the driver makes a speedy recovery.

Source: mbl.is, mbl.is

Labels: Crime

A nice piece of positive news broke today. The rate of registered unemployment in Iceland dropped to 9% in April, marking a 2.6% decrease on the previous month. In real terms, this translates to about 14,669 unemployed citizens, a decrease of 390. Who said this country was in the middle of a kreppa?

Men saw the greatest drop in unemployment rates, with around 374 fewer unemployed, whereas for women the figure for April stands at only 16. The drop is proportionally larger in rural areas than in Greater Reykjavík, where unemployment dropped by about 2% (184 people), in contrast with a rural decrease of about 4% (206 people).

The construction industry saw a real-term decrease of 217. It is evident that unemployment is still more prevalent in the capital area, where the figure stands at 9.7% compared to 7.8% in the countryside, a difference of 1.9%. The region with the highest unemployment rate (14.6%) is Suðurnes, a peninsula close to Reykjavík (mostly lava fields), whilst the least affected region is the Westfjords (3.7%).

For those of you lucky enough to understand Icelandic, more information on unemployment rates can be found in the original article. Hopefully these figures point to the first signs of a recovery, but we wouldn’t want to speak to soon.

Labels: Kreppa, Unemployment

Sigurður Einarsson, the former director of Kaupþing Bank, will not return to Iceland voluntarily for questioning by the Special Prosecutor. He is now part of a rather exclusive club of Icelanders who appear on Interpol's wanted list.

Sigurður said in a phone interview with Fréttablaðið today that he was surprised by these events. He said that it surprised him that people were arrested immediately upon arrival in Iceland, and that these arrests and custody rulings were, to his knowledge, completely unfounded. One wonders if, living in Britain, he has simply failed to get his hands on a copy of Iceland's "Black Report" which details, among other things, exactly what these arrests are based on.

He also told Fréttablaðið that he does not intend to take part in a play that, to him, seems made to mollify the Icelandic nation. He says he is going to rely on the human rights of Britain, where he currently resides.

Source: http://www.ruv.is/frett/kemur-ekki-otilneyddur-0

Labels: Banking, Crime, Kreppa

Police in the Reykjavík metropolitan area have unearthed a cannabis farm in a downtown house. Approximately 100 cannabis plants were found when the property was raided last night. A man in his forties confessed being involved in the operation, according to information from the police.

Labels: Crime

Welcome! This is the first post on The Iceland Enquirer, a new newsblog bringing you Icelandic news, views and other bits in English. The point of this blog is to make the wider English-speaking world aware of current affairs, issues and trends in Iceland.

Labels: Enquirer