Iceland wins Poland , and gets bronze medal

Iceland was just now,winning Poland ,in the Europian Handball Tournement in Austria.
Iceland ( population : 300.000 ) did 29 goals to Polands ( population : 38 million ) 26 goals.
Not much traffic ,while the game was on tv in Reykjavik as you can see on the video .

The real deal --- Iceland member of parliement

One member of Icelands parliement was on the TV show - The Real deal .
Here you can see and hear her opinion.
She was voted on Parliement after the revolution last year.

Still financial problems in Iceland

Police economic investigation,are now investigating ,companys,that where owned by former employees of Straum Investment bank.
The companys, Glacier Capital Partners ,registered in Iceland and Aseria,registared in a foreign country,and the owners,who all recently moved to London,where moving 13 billion kronas ,from a foreing currency into Icelandic kronas,despite that there where restrictions on moving foreign currency .
Few arrests have been made.

Icelands finance minister and two chairmen of the opposition parties in ICeland are now at a meeting in Holland with Hollands finance minister ,mr. Wouter Bos and Britains assistance finance minister,Lord Myners.
They are exchanging information and discussing the Icesave situation in Iceland.

Corruption still going strong in Iceland

A polar bear was killed today in Iceland .
It was in the north east part of Iceland ,at Thistilfjord.

One member of parliement ,mr. Asborn Ottarsson,for the Independence party,is in the committie,that will talk about the black report, about the banking financial crisis.
The Parliement black report,will be made public in a few weeks ,after being postponed for a few months.
Mr. Asbjorn Ottarsson, paid himself illeagally,money from his company,even though it had negative profits,and negative money in its books.
But when the media found out, he paid it back to his company,and said that he did not now about the bad situation his company was in.
He said , that he did not know that the payment was illeagal.

He said ,when he voted on Icesave,that he was against ,letting generations to come,to pay for Icesave.
But at the same time,he sold water rights, to a Canadian for 95 years.

Cooruption in Iceland is still good and strong

Photo: top - Polar bear
below- Asbjorn Ottarsson

Parliement report postponed ,again

Chairman of Parliement Investigative Committie ,investigating the banking crash of 2008,said today ,that the report,will not be public until the end of february.
This is the second delay of the Banking crisis report.
Mr. Tryggvi Gunnarsson,a member of the committie,said that maybe the public should get two to three days vacation, to read and digest the report.
Police is worried about what the public will do , when the report has be finished, and made public.

Icelands state prosecutor , has taken back the indictments against the protesters that attacked the parliemnt building last year.
On of the parliement staff, who pressed charges , is his wifes half sister.
State prosecutor, mr. Valtýr Sigurðsson,said it was embarrasing ,when he found out that one of the staff ,was his wifes half sister.

photo. Valtýr Sigurðsson

Claims on Kaupthing and indictments -video

Now the claims on the Kaupthing Bank ,that crashed , has just passed.
And former bankers,that contolled the crash and made it happen ,are demanding unpaid wages.
Sigurdur Einarsson,who has the Order of the Falcon,given to him by the President of Iceland a few years ago,is demanding 244 million kronas.
And indictments are being handed out,a year after the protests.
Not to the Bankers, no ,to 9 protesters ,who entered the Icelandic parliement ,and made some noise there.
Probably the bankers will get away with what they did.
Here are a few videos i took last year .

MP´s told to cancel visit to Iceland

British Foreign Office ,has warned British MP´s .not to travel to Iceland.
The MP´s are in a committie inquiry into the banking crisis, and due to visit Iceland at the end of the month.
British Ambassador, Ian Whitting ,told the Scottish affairs committie ,that it would be inappropriate to go to Iceland , sahed of the refferandum that is going to be held in Iceland on march 6th, on weather the Iceland should pay back the the collapsed Icesave, 3.4 billion to UK and Dutch taxpayers.

Icelands state prosecutor,says , is now prosecuting 8 protesters ,who took part in the protests last year in Reykjavik.
People do not like his priorities, he is prosecuting protesters, but not the bankers who started it all.
State prosecutor says ,he has not the power to prosecute bankers.

here below you can see videos from the protest on december 31 2009 and january 20 2009

Prtotests still in Iceland , video 2010

People who worked in the Icelandic Banks,say , that they dont understand how the system worked.
You put in the bank a thousand dollars,and the banks loans ten time that amount .
Most other countries had laws on the banks to have , sequrities ,a percentage of what was going out.
But in Iceland , there was no law on sequrities, so if something happened, they had no money to fix the hole.

Police think that there will be protests,when the Bnking Investigation Report, will be made public.
Parliement had a committie, investigate, the BAnking crisis, and to be honest in it.
The Police, think that the information in the report,will get the public angry.

Yesterday the State prosecutor, prosecuted a few protesters ,from last year.
The protesters where protesting in the ICelandic Parliement.
THis is the same prosecutor that Eva Jolie ,recomended,should get fired from his job, because he is to connected to the Banking crisis.

Many look on the Prosecution ,as the Prosecutor is getting his revenge ,on the protesters ,for the Bankers.
And still ,no Banker,or politician,who took part in the Icelands Banking fiasco,ha been charged with anything.

Now there are protests in front of the Parliement building every saturday,and here is a video from the protest last saturday.
Now there are 16.798 unemployed in Iceland.

Protest in Iceland ,january 16 2010 video and photos

Peaceful protest in Reykjavik . Today was a protest in Reykjavik yet again. And the same thing people are protesting about, fix the publics loans, and members of parliement help the public more than they do now.

Few members of parliement came to the protest scene.

Icelandic rescuers save trapped woman in Haiti - video

Still there are some good news coming from Haiti.
People are being rescued by International search and rescue teams.
Here is a video clip ,when a young woman is rescued .
She was trapped in a collapsed building.

Iceland SAR team in Haiti, video

The Icelandic SAR( search and rescue) are now working hard in Haiti.
Here you can see a video of the CNN, and the Ielandic team ,rescuing a woman in Port au Prince yesterday.

Icelands search and rescue in Haiti -

37 volunteer rescuers and 14 tons equipment belonging to the International Rescue Squad of the Icelandic International Rescue Authorities has landed in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

They are experts , in earthquake resque ,and have been to other earthquake situtations all around the world.
The Search and Rescue team has water and equipment to independentlyfor ten days.
The Icelands foreign office has offered assistance in taking foreing citizens from Haiti.
The have offered every foreigner that has embassy in Iceland, UN, and the Europian Union.

USA Denmark and Sweden have accepted .

The Iceland goverment rented a Ielandair 757, and sent 37 Search and rescue specialists.
They left Iceland at 10 ( gmt ) this morning .

The photo is of the SAR group in the plane on their way to Haiti.
The Boeing 757 ,will leave Haiti at midnight .
They will meet representatives of the UN ,and work in cooperation with them.

Iceland sends help to Haiti.

Iceland has sent a Search and Rescue group to Haiti ,to help in the aftermath of the earthquake.
These are specially trained men in earthquake resque.
They will probably be the first group to arrive in Haiti,and are now in a B-757 , on their way to Haiti.

Scotland presenter Sally Magnusson at the BBC , has got in trouble with her bosses at the BBC.
She wrote in a sunday newspaper an article ,in support of Iceland.
But BBC rules and guidelines ,prohibit staff getting involved in political rows.

Should Iceland not pay Icesave ?

Michael Hudson is professor of economics at the University of Missouri, and in an article in the Financial Time, he says that Iceland can refuse to pay the Icesave account in England and Holland.
You can see the article here . ARTICLE

And on a Dutch website, there is a petition , to ask England and Dutch goverments ,to stop asking Iceland to pay ,for private banking mistakes.
Here you can see the petition . Petition

Homeowners protest in Ieland today - photos and video

Protest meeting was held in front of the parliement building in Reykjavik today. People are protesting ,what little the Goverment is doing to help people,who are going bankrupt,due to bad loans. They look ,at the goverment,who looks to be helping Financiers ,but not the public, wich are hurting more. Today ,there where 150 homes, auctioned , and putting familys out of their homes. Last year , the govermnet promised to help homeowners ,that where in trouble ,due to the falling of the local currency ( Ice. Krona) and and their loans in foreing currency. So, the loans go up,and the local currency goes down. Many loans have doubled and some more.

Media in Iceland takes sides in Icesave.

Icelands media is taking sides on the Icesave law.
The state TV/Radio , is against the president ,and in support of the goverment.
State TV/Radio,is a public station,is under the Education minister.

Mbl.is ,is owned by many Fishing rights owners and its editor is the former Central bank controller ,and Prime minister ,mr. David Oddson, and are against the goverment.

Channel two radio and tv station ,is in support of the goverment .

And a email has been floating around ,agaisnt the British, and it goes like this and a photo is also with it.

People of Britain Surrender and we will takeour freezing weather back. Best regards , Iceland

Icelands President angry at Fitch for downgrading icelanad to junk ! video

Icelands president was angry at Fitch Ratings ,for downgrading Iceland bonds to Junk .
Here you can see Icelands President in an interview on Bloomberg.

VIDEO

May I introduce the bloody-minded Icelanders -Lord Hattersley

Lord Hattersley has an artice in The Times today ,where he talkes about Iceland.
Lord Hattersley was Foreign minister 1974 - 1976, and visited Iceland to talk to the ICeland goverment during the cod war.
The article is here , and i recomend that you read it.

"If your ancestors were marauders, you’re not likely to have qualms about keeping £3.6 billion of somebody else’s money"

He also says "When those marauding old Norsemen found that they had mistaken Venice for Constantinople, they sacked it anyway because sacking was their business. Their progeny are not going to feel many qualms about keeping £3.6 billion of somebody else’s money."

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/guest_contributors/article6979915.ece

What is Iceave about ? video answers

What is Icesave about anyway ?
Well , here a a few videos about it , from both sides.
Here is a video from Channel 4 ,from october 2008 .



And here is a vide today from Iceland , about Icesave ,and why should Icelanders pay it.



My personal opinion , is that, Iceland should honor its obligation ,and pay the Iceland fiasco, and if not,then Iceland is heading to the stoneage.

Icelands President on Newsnight on BBC - video

Jeremy Paxman ,on BBC Newsnight , interviewed the Icelandic President Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson.
Here you can see the interview.


Steingrímur J. Sigfússon, Icelands finance minister and Gylfi Magnússon , Buisness and economics minister ,are both going to Europe today ,to talk the colleges ,and discuss the situation , that the Icesave is in,after the ICelands president put the Icesave Law to a refferandum .
They will first visit Scandinavia,and probably also ,visit England and Holland.

This is the worst crisis between England and Ieland since the Cod Wars in the 1970s.
5.000 jobs in Hull and Grimsby ,depend on Icelandic fish supplies .

Icelands prime minister talkes to UK prime minister

Icelands Prime minister ,has talked to Gordon Brown , UK Prime minister.
"Even though the icelandic people say no to Icesave, that does not mean that the Icesave matter is off our hand," Icelands prime minister said today .
"Also we must keep good relations with the countries that are involved."

Icelands Financial minister will go to England ,probably tomorrow, and meet his colleges in England ,Holland and Scandinavia,and explain the situation in Iceland .

Today there was a Capasent Gallup poll made,and in it - 51 % of the Icelands population , are for paying the Icesave account.

Photos:

Top - Johanna Sigurdardotti- Prime minister
Below- Steingrimur J. Sigfusson - Financial minister

Another war with Great- Britain ?

The last war with the UK was ,when the Cod war wich ended in 1975 .
And now ,that the President says no the reumbursing the UK and Holland the Icesave account.
Now the goverment is planning a referandum , where the people of Iceland , will vote on , weather to pay ,or not pay the debt ,that Iceland has against the UK and Holland.
There has never been a referandum in Iceland, and there are no laws about it.
Here is a video from the Cod war in 1975

Decleration by the President of Iceland - january 5 - 2009

DECLARATION
BY THE PRESIDENT OF ICELAND
(OFFICIAL TRANSLATION)

The collapse of our banks and the difficulties following in the wake
of the world economic crisis have created profound difficulties. Although
the Icelandic state has undertaken various liabilities of a magnitude
greater than those involved in the Icesave case, the debate on this case has
become the focus regarding how we deal with the challenge of the past
and also of the future.
The Althingi has now again passed legislation on this matter. This
amends the current law, the Act No. 96/2009, which the Althingi passed
on 28 August and which was based on agreements with the Governments
of the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. The President approved that
Act on 2 September, with a reference to a special statement.
Following the passing by the Althingi of the new Act on 30
December, the President has received a petition, signed by about a quarter
of the electorate, calling for the Act to be subjected to a referendum. This
is a far larger proportion of the electorate than the criterion that has been
referred to in declarations and proposals from the political parties.
Public opinion polls indicate that the overwhelming majority of the
nation is of the same opinion. In addition, declarations made in the
Althingi and appeals that the President has received from individual
Members of Parliament indicate that the majority of the Members are in
favour of holding such a referendum.

Since the new Act was passed by the Althingi, the President has had
extensive discussions with Ministers in the Government of Iceland: the
Prime Minister, the Minister of Finance, the Minister for Foreign Affairs
and the Minister of Economic Affairs.
ItIt is the cornerstone of the constitutional structure of the Republic of
Iceland that the people are the supreme judge of the validity of the law.
Under the Constitution, which was passed on the foundation of the
Republic in 1944, and which over 90% of the nation approved in a
referendum, the power which formerly rested with the Althingi and the
King was transferred to the people. It is then the responsibility of the
President of the Republic to ensure that the nation can exercise this right.
At this crucial juncture it is also important to emphasise that the
recovery of the Icelandic economy is a matter of vital urgency.

Clearly,agreement with other nations and good cooperation with international
organizations and all other parties that have an influence on the country’s
economy and financial standing are preconditions for this recovery.

The solution of the Icesave dispute is a part of such a harmonious process. It is
also a prerequisite for the nation to be able to regain its former strength as
soon as possible and embark, in collaboration with others, on a
programme of recovery which will secure the welfare and prosperity of
all people in Iceland.

In the President’s declaration of 2 September 2009,
it was stated that the solution would have to “take account of the fair
rights of the nation, Iceland’s interests in the years ahead and a shared
international responsibility.”

It has steadily become more apparent that the people must be
convinced that they themselves determine the future course. The
involvement of the whole nation in the final decision is therefore the
prerequisite for a successful solution, reconciliation and recovery.
In the light of all the aforesaid, I have decided, according to Article
26 of the Constitution, to refer this new Act to the people.
As stated in the Constitution, the new Act will nevertheless become law and the
referendum will take place “as soon as possible.”
If the Act is approved in the referendum then naturally it will remain
in force. If the referendum goes the other way, then the Act No. 96/2009,
which the Althingi passed on 28 August, on the basis of the agreement
with the Governments of the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, will
continue to be law, recognizing that the people of Iceland acknowledge
their obligations.

That Act was passed by the Althingi with the involvement of four of the parliamentary parties, as stated in the President’s declaration of 2 September.

Now the people have the power and the responsibility in their hands.
It is my sincere hope that this decision will lead to permanent
reconciliation and prosperity for the people of Iceland, at the same time
laying the foundations for good relations with all other nations.

Bessastaðir, 5 January 2010
Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson

Icelands President says no - to Icesave

Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, President of Iceland, announced today that he had decided to refuse the law that guarantees the payment of Icesave account in England and Holland
"Now the Icelandic people will have the power and responsibility is now in their hands," said Olafur Ragnar included in a statement. "It is my sincere hope that this outcome will lead to permanently reconciliation and progress for Icelanders as it lays the foundation for good cohabiting with all nations. "
Now a referendum must take place and the people of Iceland will decide about the Icesave account.

A spokesman for the Dutch Finance Ministry says that is very disapointed with the decision of the Icelandic President
It is unacceptable that no solution is available in Icesave matter. Netherlands bíði now for the responce of the Government of Iceland.

Holland looks at Iceland as an Unreliable countrie .

"All financial assistance to Iceland , is out , if Icelandic people say no to the Icesave payment" , according to Paul Myners , bank minister of the UK , and aslo that if the ICelandic People said no, then iceland would be out of every International market on the planet .

Iceland in the bottom five countries in the Banking crisis

Accordign to the Guardian ,Iceland is in the bottom five countries that have gone worst in the Banking crisis.
What can help Iceland,is maybe ,getting into the Europian Union.
The other four countries are , Spain ,Ireland,Dubai and Greece.

President in Iceland not yet signed Icesave

It is not know yet ,if the President of Iceland intends to confirm the law on Icesave, Landsbanki accounts.
The president has now taken over the three days to make the decision, on Icesave but parliament approved the government bill on Wednesday.
The Icesave Goverment guarantee law, is no effective law, but if the President does not sign them , then there has to be a national election on the law.

Protesters at the president house today

Indefence.is group ,is now giving the President of Iceland ,petition,asking him not to sign the Icesave law,
56.089 Icelanders have signed the petition.
That would make , 25 % of the Icelandic population.
600 hundred are now at the Presidents house, delivering the petition to the President.
Here you can see photos from the event.

New years eve in Iecland - video and photos

Happy new year to you all.
Hope we have a better year in 2010 thatn in 2009 .

In Iceland everybody can buy fireworks of every size.
And here is a little video clip of the fireworks in Reykjavik.
Also some photos i took last night around midnight.
Hope you like the video and photos.
The video was recorded on Ipod Nano