Iceland is among the top five OECD-countries where immigrants help to boost the economy and increase nation-wide production by approximately 1 percent, according to a new report from the OECD.  more

Neither Prime Minister of Iceland Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson nor Minister of the Interior Hanna Birna Kristjánsdóttir have responded to Edward Snowden’s request for a political asylum in Iceland, as spokesperson for Wikileaks Kristinn Hrafnsson wrote in a letter published in Fréttablaðið today.  more

The first fin whale to be hunted in Iceland this season was killed by the crew of whaling vessel Hvalur 8 yesterday evening. The vessel, which set out yesterday along with Hvalur 9, is expected to unload the catch today.  more

U.S. negotiator Lee C. Buchheit, who led Iceland’s last Icesave negotiation in 2010, met with Minister of Finance Bjarni Benediktsson last week to discuss Iceland’s planned talks with creditors of the banks, according to Fréttablaðið’s sources.  more

Iceland’s vivid and bubbly music scene sometimes hides away in small cafés and bars, and you can call yourself lucky if you happen to discover some groovy band playing unannounced in the middle of the week. Síðasti sjens is one of these hidden gems. They certainly have stories to tell, and it’s exactly their tough life experience that makes the arrangements Blues – Er ekki örugglega enginn í stuði? so authentic and thrilling.  more

The road to Höfn, a 1,690-person harbor town by the fjord Hornafjörður, is lined with reindeer. Whole herds of the wild horned animals rest peacefully on withered pastures, grace next to sheep and horses and bounce along the road. Soon, Vatnajökull, Europe’s largest glacier and the region’s biggest attraction, comes into view. Looming over Höfn, its outlet glaciers flow down from the mountains on which the bright white icecap rests.  more

Sin Fang will celebrate the release of his third album with a release concert in Iðnó on June 12. Flowers was released in February by Morr Music and has been well received by music enthusiasts and critics alike. The concert will be supported by Vök, this year’s winners of the Icelandic Music Experiments.  more