Obama Chooses New Ambassador
US president Barack Obama has nominated a new ambassador for Iceland, marking the end of the Arreaga Era. RÚV reports that the nominee in question is Robert C. Barber. Barber [&he
Meat Import Ban Violates EU Law
European authorities have ruled that Iceland’s blanket ban on imported fresh meat violates international law. As reported, Iceland is a part of the European Economic Area (EE
Label Nights ’13: Yatra Arts Celebrate the Noise
Celebrate the the noise, the beautiful noise! Praveer Baijal, the creative force behind Yatra Arts, recently took some time for us to discuss the past present and future of Yatra [
Reykjavík Grapevine Podcast: Airwaves Wednesday
The Reykjavík Grapevine podcast is back! And what would be a better reason than the biggest music festival of the country–Iceland Airwaves! The Grapevine podcast team will bring
Grapevine Talks To… Vök!
Since following in the footsteps of Samaris by winning the Icelandic battle-of-the-bands competition, Vök have become an in-demand trio making moody, catchy electronic pop. We c
Jón Gnarr Will Not Seek Reelection
Reykjavík Mayor Jón Gnarr announced on the radio show Tvíhöfði that he will not run in the next municipal elections. “I think my time has come. If I were to […]
Icelanders Get All Excited About Rock ‘n’ Roll
Dr. Gunni—Iceland’s eminent scholar of rock and pop music—is finally coming out with the long-promised English language version of his super educational, super detailed t
Sad News: Molly The Goat Is Dead
The goat with the big personality, Molly, passed away last week and has been ceremonially buried. She is sorely missed by her owners. As reported, the beloved Molly was quite [&hel
Granted Divorce 37 Years After Leaving Her Husband
A woman was granted a divorce in Reykjavík district court on Tuesday, 37 years after she last heard from her husband. The couple were married in London in June 1975 […]
Most Have Had Positive Experience Of Foreign Workers
While most Icelanders say they have a positive experience with immigrant labour, 44% nonetheless believe that Icelanders should have greater priority in hiring than foreigners. The
More Against Than Supporting Construction At Protected Lava Field
A new poll reveals that more respondents are opposed to the planned construction of a road through the Gálgahraun lava field than support it. According to the poll, conducted by [
Copyright Holders’ Group To File Charges Against ISP
The Association of Film Rights-Holders in Iceland (SMÁÍS) says they will file charges against the telecom Tal. As reported, internet service provider Tal has begun offering what
Good Moon Deer Spawn Weird Improv
Guðmundur Úlfarsson is one half of Reykjavík duo Good Moon Deer. Just as they release another blast of their energizing noise online via this fancy subsite, we challenged him to
Boogie Trouble Bring Icelandic Disco Fans Out Of The Closet
For all those who think all Icelandic music has a twinkly, swooning kind of sound, the richness and variation of the local acts on display at Airwaves will come as […]
Grapevine Talks To… Sólstafir!
We asked each band in this video interview series to pick a location that seemed personal or special to them in some way. Some chose their own homes, some their […]
Police Seek Public’s Assistance In Finding Birthday Money
Police in the capital area are seeking the public’s assistance in recovering a twelve year old boy’s birthday money, DV reports. The money was in the boy’s plain black wallet
The Airwaves Off-Venue Rundown
Go off the grid, go crazy, save your money By R.X. Beckett As big as it is now, and getting bigger each year, Airwaves can still only contain so much. […]
More Lawyers, Less Work
Around 60 lawyers are unemployed in Iceland and the number of lawyers per capita is higher than in most other countries. Yet, the number of solicitors in private practice has [&hel
Asylum Seekers Whisked Off To Their Homeland
A group of 17 Albanian asylum seekers have been turned down and will be deported on Tuesday afternoon, by a Frontex airplane gathering Albanian asylum seekers across Europe. Six ch
Mayor To Announce Whether Or Not He Will Run Again
Reykjavík mayor Jón Gnarr intends to announce this Wednesday whether or not he will run again for mayor. Vísir reports that the announcement will take place during the revival o
Foreign Shop Workers Often Victims Of Prejudice
A supermarket cashier of foreign origin says xenophobia and prejudice from Icelandic customers is fairly commonplace. Vísir spoke to a Bónus cashier about rudeness from customers