Parliament
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4,500 Protest Government At Austurvöllur
Around 4,500 people attended a general protest against the government this afternoon, almost completely filling the parliamentary square. This marks it as one of the biggest demonstrations this year. Singer-songwriter Svavar Knútur had a short address at the beginning of the event,…
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At Austurvöllur, Icelanders Once More Protest Their Government
A group describing itself as “concerned citizens” will engage in peaceful protest outside of parliament today at five PM. Gaining steam on Facebook over the past few days, the event was reportedly initially inspired by a status-rant from singer-songwriter Svavar Knútur about…
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MPs Want To Shorten Work Week
A new bill has been submitted to parliament which would, if passed, legally define working full time to 35 hours per week instead of 40. According to the bill, which has been submitted by Pirate Party MPs Björn Leví Gunnarsson and Helgi…
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Motion To Subtitle All Icelandic Content
Several members of parliament have table a motion to introduce subtitles on all visual media content, reports Vísir. Currently it is only compulsory to subtitle foreign language content in Iceland but the MP’s believe that all content, including Icelandic news, films and…
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Trade Unions Very Critical Of New Budget Bill
The Confederation of Icelandic Labour Unions (ASÍ) has released a statement saying there is “no foundation for further discussion” with the government if their new budget bill passes. The statement, posted on ASÍ’s website, calls the new budget bill “an attack on…
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Alcohol Bill Submitted
A bill that would permit the sale of alcohol in private shops has been submitted to parliament, and it is uncertain whether it will fail or become law. Currently, alcoholic beverages may only be bought from any of the The State Alcohol…
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Progressive Party May Be In Trouble
The Progressive Party, which leads the ruling coalition, is now only the fourth largest party in the country, and edges out the others by about 2%. According to the newest poll from Market and Media Research, the Independence Party is once again…
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Icelandic Parliament To Review Whaling
Nine opposition MP’s have tabled a motion in parliament to assess the overall benefits of whaling, reports RÚV. The MP’s have asked Finance Minister, Bjarni Benediktsson, to conduct an independent investigation of the benefits of whaling. The report should also review the…
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Metal Detector At Parliament
A metal detector will be set up at the rear entrance to parliament, with additional purposes than was initially announced last December. MBL reports that a metal detector will soon be a part of the rear entrance to parliament. This is the…
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Support For Government Falls Slightly
According to the latest poll, public support for the ruling coalition has decreased over the past month. The poll was conducted by Market and Media Research (MMR) from July 28 to 31. According to their findings, support for the ruling coalition of…
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Air Mechanics Planning Court Action
The Air Mechanics’ Union negotiations chairperson has called a possible government ban on their strike “equivalent to government pressure”, and have pledged to take the matter to court. “We consider this the equivalent of pressuring actions on behalf of the government,” Maríus…
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Parliament Called To Stop Strike
An emergency meeting of parliament has been called in order to impose a law stopping air mechanics from going on strike over their collective bargaining negotiations, reports RÚV. Air mechanics held a 24 hour work stoppage on Monday and plan to go on strike again…
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Iceland To Welcome Syrian Refugees
The Icelandic government has agreed to accept families of Syrian refugees, with an emphasis on children.According to an announcement on the Ministry of the Interior’s website, the United Nations has called upon all capable nations to accept more Syrian refugees, as the crisis in…
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Parliament Approves New Drug Policy
Parliament has approved a proposal submitted by the Pirate Party that would make a number of changes to Iceland’s existing drug policy.The proposal, taken directly from the Pirate Party’s drug platform, places greater focus on education, treatment and decriminalisation than current drug laws…
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Parliament Closes With Pollapönk
As parliament goes on break for the summer, Speaker of the House, Einar K. Guðfinnsson, said farewell to MP’s by quoting lyrics from Iceland’s recent Eurovision entry, “No Prejudice” by Pollapönk, reports Vísir. In the final speech of the spring session the Speaker ended…