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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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A four-hour strike by air traffic controllers in Iceland began today at 7 am, which is causing delay to all scheduled flights to and from the country, as well as domestic flights. Five airplanes were supposed to depart from Keflavík International Airport between 7 and 11 am.
A domestic airplane. Photo by Páll Kjartansson.
A meeting between air traffic controllers and their negotiators has been scheduled for 1 pm. If they are unable to reach a solution by Friday morning, another four-hour strike will take place, ruv.is reports.
CEO of Icelandair Birkir Hólm Gudnason said it is clear that the strike is directed at the airline’s schedule; Icelandair cannot change its schedule due to connecting flights, unlike other airlines.
Air traffic controllers will only lose four hours of their salaries while the strike will have a significant impact on Icelandair’s schedule, Gudnason reasoned.
Gísli Tryggvason, spokesperson for consumers, wants to place a temporary ban on the strike of air traffic controllers and send the wage contract dispute to arbitration.
Air mechanics also recently went on strike due to a dispute over wages.
Click here to read more about that story.
Today, a conference will be held at the Icelandic Pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo regarding energy solutions and ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
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The new banks, or those profiting from purchasing the assets of the old banks’ money market funds, could be forced to reimburse to the state the amount they spent on the purchases.
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The turnout was massive at the meeting of citizens’ organization Bót, held last night at the Reykjavík City Hall. The organization was founded to fight poverty in Iceland.
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Herjólfur will be sailing between the Westman Islands and its former harbor Thorlákshöfn today and the coming days.
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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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