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Click on the picture to watch an audio slideshow of a hike to Hraunsvatn lake in Öxnadalur valley in north Iceland, which lies at a height of 490 meters, interlocked between two steep mountains and a small glacier with a view of the majestic Hraundrangar peaks.
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Fjallabyggd (“Mountain Settlement”) is a skier’s dream. Its slopes are perfect for slaloming and there are also tracks for telemark skiing. Winter sporting enthusiasts can also go ice skating or rent snowmobiles. In summer, Fjallabyggd turns into a paradise for hikers. Read this special promotion about one of Iceland’s best hidden gems.
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New legislation on energy companies will in all likelihood be fast-tracked following Canadian Magma Energy’s acquisition of Icelandic energy company HS. A ministerial council on economic affairs met to discuss the matter yesterday.
Harnessing geothermal energy in Iceland. Photo by Páll Stefánsson.
The ministers wouldn’t say much to the media after the meeting, only that the matter is being reviewed and that there is not much risk of it causing a rift in the current Social-Democrat-Left-Green coalition.
However, according to Fréttabladid’s sources, what they discussed was to speed up legislation which will further restrict ownership of energy companies.
The ministers are allegedly looking towards Norway in that regard, where the regulations on the ownership structure of energy companies are very strict. When they were established they were backdated and the same might apply to the Icelandic legislation.
The parliamentary groups of the government parties also met yesterday to discuss the matter. After meeting her fellow Social Democrats, Prime Minister Jóhanna Sigurdardóttir said it is possible that the entire sales process of HS will be investigated.
Magma’s acquisition of HS has been highly controversial and the MPs of the Left-Green Movement have criticized the government for not having prevented it.
Left-Green MPs Gudfrídur Lilja Grétarsdóttir and Atli Gíslason attended yesterday’s meeting, as did Social Democrat MP Thórunn Sveinbjarnardóttir.
The ministerial committee is comprised of Prime Minister Jóhanna Sigurdardóttir, Minister of Finance Steingrímur J. Sigfússon, Minister of Economic Affairs Gylfi Magnússon, who were all present, and Minister of Industry Katrín Júlíusdóttir and Minister for the Environment Svandís Svavarsdóttir who participated in the meeting by telephone.
The government parties are expected to continue working on this matter. The Icelandic parliament, Althingi, will reconvene on September 2 and a bill for new energy ownership legislation will likely be submitted on that day. Parliamentary committees are scheduled to meet from August 17 to 31.
Ásgeir Margeirsson, CEO of Magma in Iceland, has declared that the company will demand compensation if the government annuls the acquisition deal.
Click here to read more about the Magma debate.
Jinky Young’s mother, Marilyn Young, is demanding a further examination of DNA samples from Chess Grand Master Bobby Fischer,
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The knife a pair of fifteen-year-old boys found in the Hafnarfjördur marina which could possibly be the weapon used to murder Hannes Thór Helgason is still under examination in Sweden.
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Mayor Jón Gnarr deeply regrets the controversy created as a result of comments he made during an interview with French news agency AFP regarding his watching of pornography.
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Thirty-nine swindlers have been exposed in the past two months, thanks to a special notification button on the Social Insurance Administration’s home page which allows people to alert authorities of suspected benefit fraud.
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The second issue of the print edition of Iceland Review 2010 has just been published. Entitled “Under the Volcano” the magazine dedicates 20 pages, words and pictures, to the volcanic eruption in Eyjafjallajökull glacier which made headlines all over the word. New subscribers will receive the book Puffins as a gift and all subscribers are part of a draw to win a trip to Iceland. Click here to subscribe to the magazine.
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REVIEWS
Future of Hope is an aptly named documentary directed by Henry Bateman about what some people are doing to shape the future of Iceland, hoping that above all, the crisis will ultimately strengthen the country.
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There can’t be many novels that are heralded as being “a purification for body and soul” recommended to “those who enjoy experimental cookery” (review of November Rain in DV newspaper) and “as beautiful as a painting from the golden age” (review of The Offspring by Danish newspaper Politiken). However, Reykjavík based writer, Audur Ava Ólafsdóttir, has attracted such attention not to mention literary prizes.
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Have a laugh this week by visiting Hafnarborg, the Hafnarfjördur Centre of Culture and Fine Art, where the exhibition “Humor in Icelandic Art” is currently running. The exhibition consists of works by contemporary Icelandic artists from different generations which deal with humor and irony.
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