Iceland news stories on Newser

Iceland's Ex-PM Guilty on 1 Count in Banking Crisis

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 10:02:00 CDT

A special court today found a former Iceland prime minister guilty of one charge related to the nation's banking crisis but cleared him of four other charges. Geir Haarde will face no punishment, and the state will pay his expenses in defending the case. Haarde, who led the government from...

Best, Worst Places to Be Female

Neal Colgrass — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 14:48:00 CST

With International Women's Day coming up Thursday, should we weep or rejoice? While British women will likely face 14 more elections before women equal men in Parliament, women in Qatar are far more likely to attend university than men. That said, the Independent picked its best and worse nations for...

For Icelandic Lovers, an Incest Database

Evann Gastaldo — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 12:07:13 CST

An Icelander's pre-date checklist: Put on a nice shirt, buy some flowers … run date's name through incest database? It sounds crazy, but with Iceland's population at just 300,000, the risk of accidentally romancing a relative is high. Íslendingabók, or the Book of Icelanders, is a website that claims...

How Iceland Got Its Groove Back

Kevin Spak — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 12:33:05 CST

Don't look now, but Iceland's economy is growing. Tourism is up, the standard of living remains high, and unemployment is down to 7%. "For a country whose entire financial system collapsed, Iceland is doing remarkably well," the IMF's mission chief there tells the Washington Post . Why? In part because Iceland...

Iceland Votes to Recognize Palestine

Wed, 30 Nov 2011 03:26:00 CST

Iceland has become the first Western European nation to recognize Palestine as an independent state. A resolution to recognize Palestine as "an independent and sovereign state" based on borders predating the Six Day War of 1967 passed the country's parliament with 38 of 63 votes. Iceland's foreign affairs minister says...

Dear Financial 'Experts,' Check Out Iceland

John Johnson — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 12:16:05 CDT

Markets are thrilled that Europe finally cut a deal, "however vague the details and however inadequate it may prove," writes Paul Krugman in the New York Times . The deal is better than nothing, he writes, but it once again highlights the misguided doctrine he says is doing great harm to...

Chinese Tycoon to Buy Chunk of Iceland

Kate Schwartz — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 09:35:45 CDT

How much does it cost to purchase 0.3% of Iceland? About $8.8 million, learned one Chinese tycoon who plans to do just that. Huang Nubo has made a provisional deal to buy 115 square miles of wilderness in the northeastern part of the country, which the real estate...

US Threatens Sanctions on Iceland Over Whaling

Wed, 20 Jul 2011 13:27:34 CDT

The US is set to announce possible trade and diplomatic sanctions against Iceland for ramping up its whale hunts despite an international moratorium on commercial whaling. The Obama administration will cite Iceland under a domestic law that allows the president to act against foreign nationals or countries who flout international...

New Iceland Volcano Shows Signs of Activity

Wed, 06 Jul 2011 08:57:46 CDT

Scientists are monitoring unusual underground activity that could signal an eruption at the Hekla volcano in southern Iceland. Magma appears to be moving deep beneath the volcano, and while that doesn't necessarily mean an eruption is imminent, scientists expect Hekla, one of Iceland's most active volcanoes, to erupt soon. In...