Iceland

Iceland heads for Parliamentary polls; immigration, inflation key issues

Icelanders will elect a new parliament Saturday after disagreements over immigration, energy policy and the economy forced Prime Minister Bjarni Benediktsson to pull the plug on his coalition government and call early elections. This is Iceland's sixth general election since the 2008 financial crisis devastated the economy of the North Atlantic island nation and ushered in a new era of political instability. Opinion polls suggest the country may be in for another upheaval, with support for the three governing parties plunging. Benediktsson, who was named prime minister in April following the resignation of his predecessor, struggled to hold together the unlikely coalition of his conservative Independence Party with the centrist Progressive Party and the Left-Green Movement. Iceland, a nation of about 400,000 people, is proud of its democratic traditions, describing itself as arguably the world's oldest parliamentary democracy. The island's parliament, the Althingi, was founded in 93

England football team loses to Iceland in last friendly before Euro 2024

England was booed by some of its own fans after losing 1-0 to Iceland on Friday in its last friendly before the European Championship, while host nation Germany recovered from a goal down to beat Greece 2-1. Jn Dagur Thorsteinsson left defender John Stones standing as he scored for Iceland in the 16th minute to bring back memories of one of England's lowest points of recent years, its 2-1 elimination by Iceland at Euro 2016. England created few clear-cut chances against Iceland and nearly conceded a second goal when a promising Icelandic counterattack ended with Thorsteinsson slipping as he shot. We learned a lot and we know the performance wasn't good enough, England manager Gareth Southgate told broadcaster Channel 4. Equally we needed the game; there's a lot of players that we're managing their minutes and it was obviously a disjointed and disappointing performance and we didn't show enough character." England, which beat Bosnia-Herzegovina 3-0 on Monday, gets its tournament und

Iceland elects businesswoman Tomasdottir as prez, will take office on Aug 1

Halla Tomasdottir, a businesswoman and investor, has won Iceland's presidential election, topping a crowded field of candidates in which the top three finishers were women, the country's national broadcast service reported. Tomasdottir was elected to the largely ceremonial post with 34.3% of the vote, defeating former Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir, with 25.2%, and Halla Hrund Logadottir, with 15.5%, RUV said Sunday. Tomasdottir, 55, campaigned as someone who was above party politics and could help open discussions on fundamental issues such as the effect of social media on the mental health of young people, Iceland's development as a tourist destination and the role of artificial intelligence. She will replace President Gudni Th Johannesson, who did not seek re-election after two four-year terms. Tomasdottir will take office on Aug 1. Iceland, a Nordic island nation located in the North Atlantic, has about 384,000 people and a long tradition of electing women to high office. .

Iceland's foreign min arrives in Delhi to boost ties in trade, investment

Sharing on social media 'X', Randhir Jaiswal stressed that Benediktsson's visit will further strengthen India-Iceland ties, including in trade and investment

Duty concession on gold imports from Switzerland under EFTA on table

India may give quota-based duty concession on gold imports from Switzerland under the proposed free trade agreement with the four European nation bloc EFTA, sources said. The European Free Trade Association (EFTA) members are Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland. Sources also said that India has sought an investment commitment of USD 50 billion during the first ten years after the implementation of the agreement and another USD 50 billion over the next five years from the member countries of the bloc. Import duty concession on gold was a major demand of Switzerland from India in the agreement. Gold accounts for about 80 per cent of India's imports from Switzerland. New Delhi has extended 1 per cent duty concession to domestic importers on a specified quantity of gold under TRQ (tariff rate quota) in a trade pact with the UAE. "Similar duty concessions are also being worked out under the EFTA agreement," one of the sources said. An email query to the commerce ministry o

'Free trade agreement talks between India, EFTA bloc at advanced stage'

Negotiations for a free trade agreement between India and the four-nation EFTA bloc are at an advanced stage as both sides have reached a shared understanding on key issues, a senior official has said. The European Free Trade Association (EFTA) members are Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland. India and the EFTA have been negotiating the pact, officially dubbed as Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA), since January 2008 to boost economic ties. "Following extensive negotiations, a shared understanding has been achieved on key issues during the ministerial meeting. Ongoing efforts are now focused on shaping the convergence that has emerged," the official said. Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal held a meeting recently with Swiss Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin in Mumbai. Parmelin, in a social media post on X, has said that officials are working around the clock to settle last details so that it can be signed as soon as possible. "At the last-minute ..

Volcano erupts in southwest Iceland, send lava flowing towards settlement

A volcano has erupted in southwestern Iceland, sending semi-molten rock spewing toward a nearby settlement for the second time in less than a month. The eruption on Sunday morning came after a swarm of earthquakes near the town of Grindavik, the Icelandic Meteorological Office said. The community was evacuated overnight, Iceland's RUV television reported. Lava is flowing a few hundred metres north of the town, this is 400 to 500 metres,' Kristn Jnsdttir from the Icelandic Meteorological Office told Iceland's RUV television. Lava flows towards Grindavik. Residents of Grindavik were previously evacuated from their homes in November and had to stay away from the town for six weeks following a series of earthquakes and an eventual volcanic eruption. They were allowed to return on December 22. Iceland, which sits above a volcanic hot spot in the North Atlantic, averages an eruption every four to five years. The most disruptive in recent times was the 2010 eruption of the Eyjafjallajokul

Iceland volcano erupts in Reykjanes Peninsula weeks after people evacuated

A volcanic eruption started Monday night on Iceland's Reykjanes Peninsula, turning the sky orange and prompting the country's civil defence to be on high alert. The eruption appears to have occurred about four kilometers (2.4 miles) from the town of Grindavik, the Icelandic Meteorological Office said. Grainy webcam video showed the moment of the eruption as a flash of light illuminating the sky at 22:17 local time. As the eruption spread, magma, or semi-molten rock, could be seen spewing along the ridge of a hill. The magma flow seems to be at least a hundred cubic metres per second, maybe more. So this would be considered a big eruption in this area at least, Vidir Reynisson, head of Iceland's Civil Protection and Emergency Management told the Icelandic public broadcaster, RUV. In November, police evacuated the town or Grindavik after strong seismic activity in the area damaged homes and raised fears of an imminent eruption. Iceland sits above a volcanic hot spot in the North ...

Months before return possible for people evacuated over volcano in Iceland

People in southwest Iceland remained on edge Saturday, waiting to see whether a volcano rumbling under the Reykjanes Peninsula will erupt. Civil protection authorities said that even if it doesn't, it's likely to be months before it is safe for residents evacuated from the danger zone to go home. The fishing town of Grindavik was evacuated a week ago as magma semi-molten rock rumbled and snaked under the earth amid thousands of tremors. It has left a jagged crack running through the community, thrusting the ground upward by one metre (three feet) or more in places. The Icelandic Meteorological Office said there is a significant likelihood that an eruption will occur somewhere along the 15-kilometre (9-mile) magma tunnel, with the prime location an area north of Grindavik near the Hagafell mountain. Grindavik, a town of 3,400, sits on the Reykjanes Peninsula, about 50 kilometres (31 miles) southwest of the capital, Reykjavik and not far from Keflavik Airport, Iceland's main facilit

Geotropy Iceland to set up Rs 8 cr CA store for apple growers in Kinnaur

Iceland-based company Geotropy Iceland would set up a controlled atmosphere (CA) store at Tapri in Kinnaur district on a pilot basis using innovative geothermal technology, benefitting local apple growers, officials said on Saturday. A pact was inked between the state government and the company in this regard, in the presence of Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, a statement issued here said. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between Managing Director of Horticultural Produce Marketing & Processing Corporation (HPMC), Sudesh Kumar Mokhta, and Chairman of the Geotropy Iceland, Thomas Ottohansson. The CA store would have a storage capacity of 1,000 tonnes and would be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 8 crore. The state government would provide all possible assistance to the company for realising this project, as geothermal energy was a renewable source that minimises greenhouse gas emissions, the chief minister said.. The adoption of ...

Iceland clears town near Blue Lagoon due to volcanic eruption risk

Authorities have been on alert after weeks of tremors indicated a magma intrusion is forming underground close to Grindavik on the Reykjanes peninsula

2001-2011 warmest decade in the last millennium in central Greenland: Study

The scientists also found that the region was 1.5 degrees Celsius warmer than during the 20th century

Exploring Iceland: A Journey of a Lifetime

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India ranks 41th spot out of 44 in Mercer CFS Global Pension Index

Mercer CFS Global Pension Index pointed out that the country needs to strengthen its regulatory framework and boost the coverage under private pension arrangements

India, Nordic nations to remain engaged on Ukraine; condemn civilian deaths

PM Modi invited sovereign wealth funds of the Nordic countries to invest in India and noted that New Delhi's Arctic policy provides a good framework for the expansion of cooperation in Arctic region

PM Modi meets Iceland counterpart in Denmark; discusses ways to boost ties

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday met his Iceland counterpart Katrin Jakobsdottir and discussed ways to boost ties in areas like trade, energy and fisheries.

World's happiest country ranking goes to Finland for fifth year in a row

Denmark kept its second place, Iceland bypassed Switzerland to take third place and the Netherlands rounded out the top five

Puerto Rico Sunshine: A colour magnet for tourists

The colour Puerto Rico Sunshine is a deep orange, encapsulating the optimism and passion of the islanders

Iceland gives $1.2 mn in funding for climate action in vulnerable nations

The UN Development Programme (UNDP) has received a new contribution of approximately $1.2 million in funding from the government of Iceland to support vulnerable countries on climate action.

The shorter work week really worked in Iceland. Here's how

Participants in an Iceland study reduced their hours by three to five hours per week without losing pay