Reykjavik

8 Stories

Iceland Cops Foil 'Unprecedented' Terror Plot

Police seize firearms, ammo apparently meant to be used in terror attacks, a rare phenomenon in that nation

(Newser) - A raid Wednesday in and near Reykjavik turned up not only a mess of firearms and ammunition, but also the discovery of an alleged terror plot that was apparently foiled. Gunnar Horour Garoarsson, a spokesman for Iceland's national police force, announced that four native men, all believed to be...

Airline Contest: Hole Up in Iceland, Travel, Get Paid

You'll have to win Wow Air's contest, though, and do quite a bit of content creation

(Newser) - If you have a BFF and no big summer plans, an Icelandic airline is making a tempting offer. Per Business Insider , Wow Air will set up one lucky duo in a fully furnished apartment in downtown Reykjavik, which will serve as home base from June 1 to Aug. 15, with...

Reykjavik Swaps City Lights for Even Better Ones

Iceland's capital turns off lights for aurora borealis viewing

(Newser) - The capital of an entire country went dark Wednesday night to give residents a better view of one of nature's most stunning light shows. The BBC reports Reykjavik switched off street lights in the center of the city and in various neighborhoods for better viewing of the aurora borealis,...

Odd Murder Confessions From '70s Second-Guessed

Suspects weren't sure whether they'd been involved

(Newser) - In the 1970s, six people confessed to killing two men in Iceland, apparently explaining the victims' mysterious 1974 disappearances and ending what the justice minister called "the nation's nightmare." But the suspects, who were all convicted—with one sentenced to life in prison—at first didn't...

For 1st Time in Iceland's History, Police Shoot, Kill

Gunman was killed after shooting at officers

(Newser) - Police in Iceland have shot dead a 59-year-old man who fired a shotgun at them—a tragic event in any country, but an unprecedented one for the island nation, which attained independence in 1944. The incident is believed to be the first time anybody has ever been shot and killed...

Court: Iceland Teen Can Use Her Own Name
 Iceland Teen Can Use 
 'Unapproved' Name 
says court

Iceland Teen Can Use 'Unapproved' Name

'Blaer,' meaning 'light breeze,' wasn't on list of OK names

(Newser) - An Icelandic 15-year-old whose name had been, for all official purposes, just "Girl," has won a lawsuit to keep her given name. Iceland's government had held that she couldn't use the name Blaer because it wasn't on the country's approved-name list, which rules out...

Banking Meltdown Driving Icelanders Back to Fishing

Financial system collapse leaves nation adrift

(Newser) - The collapse of its financial system has left Iceland with little left to rely on but the sea that surrounds it, writes the Wall Street Journal. With few natural resources on land, fishing was the mainstay of Icelandic life for centuries until the nation's global banking industry rapidly expanded a...

Sigur Ros' Film Stirs, Tunes Safe
Sigur Ros' Film Stirs, Tunes Safe

Sigur Ros' Film Stirs, Tunes Safe

Icelandic rock gods' Hvarf/Heim is an awesome doc, even if music underwhelms

(Newser) - Icelandic rock gods Sigur Ros look stunning in their gorgeous new documentary Heima, which followed the band on last year’s whirlwind homecoming tour. The wilderness provides the perfect backdrop to their experimental post-rock and "homespun laissez-faire philosophy,” says LAist’s glowing Joshua Pressman, and "their national-hero...

8 Stories