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A level of uncertainty due to avalanche risk now only remains in central North Iceland. It has been lifted in the northern and southern West Fjords and in Hofsós, Northwest Iceland.
Parts of the town had to be evacuated but people have now been able to return to their homes, ruv.is reports.
The Icelandic Meteorological Office decided this morning to cancel evacuation and lift the danger level announced yesterday for Zone 9 in Ísafjörður and the farms Veðrará and Fremri-Breiðidalur in the West Fjords, mbl.is reports.
A number of avalanches have fallen on roads in the West Fjords and North Iceland, blocking the road along Ísafjarðardjúp and between Dalvík and Ólafsfjörður, among other locations. They have now been cleared.
There is an extensive amount of snow in the mountains and travelers are asked to be careful when entering areas known for avalanche risk. It can prove particularly dangerous to drive skidoos up steep slopes.
According to the Icelandic Road Administration, road conditions are currently slippery across the country and particularly in the capital region.
Click here to read yesterday’s story about snowfall and avalanche risk and here to view a photograph of the passage cut through the snow from an avalanche which fell on the road to Ólafsfjörður..
ESA
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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The 2013 June-July issue of Iceland Review is out. Themed ‘We Are Young’ the magazine celebrates the arrival of summer by interviewing young energetic Icelanders who excel in art, sports, business and politics—and Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson, the youngest PM in the republic’s history and the world’s youngest ruling state leader. Click here to take a look at a selection of the current issue and here to subscribe to the magazine.
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REVIEWS
amiina
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.
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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.
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