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Post by moabiter on Oct 27, 2010 6:07:44 GMT -8
Geir Haarde, Iceland Ex-PM, Indicted For Role In Financial Crisis 09/28/10 06:35 PM REYKJAVIK, Iceland — Iceland's former Prime Minister Geir Haarde has been referred to a special court in a move that could make him the first world leader to be charged in connection with the global financial crisis. After a heated debate Tuesday, lawmakers voted 33-30 to refer charges to the court against Haarde for allegedly failing to prevent Iceland's 2008 financial crash – a crisis that sparked protests, toppled the government and brought the economy to a standstill by collapsing its currency... Pall Hreinsson, the supreme court judge appointed to head the Special Investigation Commission that issued the report, singled out seven former officials including Haarde and central bank chief David Oddsson for particular criticism.www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/09/28/geir-haarde-indicted-iceland-financial-crisis_n_742800.htmlGeir Haarde
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Post by moabiter on Oct 27, 2010 6:11:02 GMT -8
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Post by moabiter on Oct 27, 2010 6:13:59 GMT -8
Iceland ex-PM faces negligence charges Last updated: September 28 2010 20:41 STOCKHOLM. Iceland’s parliament has voted to press negligence charges against former prime minister Geir Haarde, in the first concrete step to hold politicians accountable for the 2008 bank crisis that left the country’s economy in ruins. The move came after a parliament-commissioned “truth report” earlier this year accused political leaders and regulators of “gross negligence” in their lax oversight of the banking sector before it collapsed. Tuesday’s vote paved the way for Mr Haarde to become the first Icelandic leader to be tried by a special constitutional court set up in 1905 to hear cases involving elected officials. Punishment for criminal negligence could include a fine or two years in prison. www.ft.com/cms/s/0/210b59c8-cb37-11df-95c0-00144feab49a.html
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Post by moabiter on Oct 27, 2010 6:22:31 GMT -8
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Post by moabiter on Oct 27, 2010 6:23:41 GMT -8
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Post by moabiter on Oct 27, 2010 6:31:53 GMT -8
Icelandic Terrorists —Íslenskir hryðjuverkamenn Hver sem les einhvern fjölmiðil – hvar sem er – veit að lítill hópur glæpamanna störfuðu eftir lögmáli Robins Hood, á haus. Þeir hreinsuðu eignir, hluti og sparnað út úr jafn mörgum stofnunum og þeir gátu og ferjuðu þær úr landi eins hratt og hægt var, fyrir hið algera hrun. Frekar en að barma sér yfir Bandaríkjunum og Bretlandi, og marsera að breska þinginu til að halda fram hinu augljósa, er tímabært að Íslendingar horfist í augu við eigin djöfla og beini athyglinni að kjarna málsins. Hinn brýnasti vandi var skapaður af nokkrum óvönduðum Íslendingum. this.is/nei/?p=4151
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Post by moabiter on Oct 27, 2010 6:50:56 GMT -8
Hydrogen-filling station opens ... in Iceland Updated 4/25/2003 10:19 AM REYKJAVIK, Iceland (AP) — Iceland opened a filling station for hydrogen-powered vehicles on Thursday — one of a very few in the world and the next step toward its dream of giving up fossil fuels completely... The major partners in the venture are Icelandic New Energy, DaimlerChrysler, Norsk Hydro and Royal Dutch Shell. The European Union contributed $3.1 million of the $7.7 million cost of the project. From the outside, the hydrogen station looks like a normal gas station — complete with the distinctive yellow Shell logo — except that one wall facing the street is emblazoned with an enormous light-blue sign that reads, "the ultimate fuel." The hydrogen, in gas form, is dispensed via a thin tube. Iceland was chosen for the project in part because of its history of using alternative fuel, and 90% of its electricity is from geothermal springs or hydropower. That means the electricity needed to make the hydrogen can be produced cleanly and in Iceland. www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techinnovations/2003-04-25-hydro-station_x.htmHydrogen powered ships and cars now available - www.icenews.is/index.php/2008/06/23/hydrogen-powered-ships-and-cars-now-available/
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Post by clone on Dec 8, 2010 20:59:19 GMT -8
Iceland exits recession Decision to force bondholders to pay for banking system's collapse appears to pay off as economy grows 1.2% in third quarter Tuesday 7 December 2010 20.18 GMT Iceland famously agreed in a referendum to reject a scheme to repay most of its debts that were once worth 11 times its total national income. In contrast to Ireland, Iceland's taxpayers refused to foot the bill for the debts accumulated by the banking sector. Bondholders were told to accept dramatic reductions in the value of repayments on bank debt after the sector borrowed beyond its means to fund ambitious investments abroad. www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/dec/07/iceland-exits-recession-third-quarter
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Post by clone on Feb 4, 2011 18:55:56 GMT -8
More Icelandic bankers arrested Posted on 20 January 2011. Iceland’s special prosecutor into the banking crisis has confirmed that raids have taken place today and that arrests have been made. The Central Bank of Iceland is among the institutions under investigation. Special Prosecutor, Olafur Thor Hauksson told Visir.is that house searches are taking place in at least three places today as part of investigations into the central bank, MP Bank and Straumur Bank. www.icenews.is/index.php/2011/01/20/more-icelandic-bankers-arrested/
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Post by clone on Jun 25, 2011 23:02:49 GMT -8
Mob rule: Iceland crowdsources its next constitution Country recovering from collapse of its banks and government is using social media to get citizens to share their ideas Thursday 9 June 2011 18.43 BST As the country recovers from the financial crisis that saw the collapse of its banks and government, it is using social media to get its citizens to share their ideas as to what the new document should contain. "I believe this is the first time a constitution is being drafted basically on the internet," said Thorvaldur Gylfason, member of Iceland's constitutional council... In creating the new document, the council has been posting draft clauses on its website stjornlagarad.is/ every week since the project launched in April. The public can comment underneath or join a discussion on the council's Facebook page www.facebook.com/Stjornlagarad www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jun/09/iceland-crowdsourcing-constitution-facebook
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Post by clone on Dec 8, 2011 17:54:47 GMT -8
Iceland Economy Grew 4.7% in Third Quarter as Recovery Continues December 07, 2011, 8:39 PM EST Dec. 7 (Bloomberg) -- Iceland’s economy grew in the third quarter as the first western nation to succumb to the global financial crisis in 2008 shows signs of a sustained recovery. Gross domestic product expanded 4.7 percent from the second quarter, after shrinking a revised 3.6 percent in the previous three-month period, the Reykjavik-based statistics office said in a statement on its website today. Output expanded 4.8 percent from a year earlier, the office said. www.businessweek.com/news/2011-12-07/iceland-economy-grew-4-7-in-third-quarter-as-recovery-continues.html
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Post by clone on Dec 11, 2011 9:09:32 GMT -8
Lifeline for Iceland’s data centre hopes | FT Tech Hub on.ft.com/vI8lkQ via @fttechhub Dec 1, 2011 High quality global journalism requires investment. Please share this article with others using the link below, do not cut & paste the article. See our Ts&Cs and Copyright Policy for more detail. Email ftsales.support@ft.com to buy additional rights. blogs.ft.com/fttechhub/2011/12/lifeline-for-icelands-data-centre-hopes/#ixzz1gFLrnGIsnew transatlantic subea cable, linking NY-London via Iceland and Ireland
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Post by clone on Jan 30, 2012 16:35:55 GMT -8
ICELAND TO BECOME INTERNATIONAL TRANSPARENCY HAVEN On June 16th 2010 the Icelandic Parliament passed a proposal for a parliamentary resolution tasking the government to introduce a new legislative regime to protect and strengthen modern freedom of expression. The proposal was passed by votes from parliament members of all parties. Birgitta Jonsdottir, the chief sponsor in parliament of the IMMI proposal said: "Iceland will become the inverse of a tax haven; by offering journalists and publishers some of the most powerful protections for free speech and investigative journalism in the world. Tax havens aim is to make everything opaque. Our aim is to make everything transparent.". Highlights from the resolution: the Icelandic Prize for Freedom of Expression Protection from "libel tourism" and other extrajudicial abuses Protection of intermediaries (internet service providers) Statute of limitations on publishing liabilities Virtual limited liability companies Whistleblower Protection Source Protection Communications Protection Prior Restraint Limitations Judicial process protections Ultra-modern Freedom of Information Act Because of the complexity of the legislative changes required, the final legislation will not pass through Parliament at the same date, at least 13 laws need to be changed and improved in 4 ministries. The Ministry of Education, Science and Culture will have an over all responsibility of implementing the laws. Estimated time for the entire IMMI package to be completed is about a year. The creators of the IMMI hope by Iceland's bold steps in the direction of creating a haven for freedom of information, speech and expression, that it will inspire other nations to follow suit by strengthening their own laws in favor of the fundamental cornerstones that are the base of democracies and thwart the trending of gagging, legal harassment and destruction of historical records. This proposal was created by international collaboration of lawyers and organizations such as Wikileaks, who have a comprehensive understanding about how the current status of affairs are in our world in regard of serious attacks on freedom of information and expression. The Icelandic Modern Media Initiative is based on turning the tax-haven concept on its head. Instead of pulling together asset hiding and secrecy laws from around the world in order to shelter corruption and financial crime, the IMMI pulls together the best transparency enabling legislation, to create a stronghold for investigative journalists, internet publishers, transparency watchdogs and the public. The global support for the IMMI underlines the need for a robust environment that supports the world's best journalism and the activities of transparency groups. The flow of information has no borders and most of the media is moving to the internet. That is why the time has come for a modern legislative regime that can promote and defend global freedom of expression, in principle and in practice. immi.is/Icelandic_Modern_Media_Initiative
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Post by cdn dollar on Mar 6, 2012 16:17:06 GMT -8
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Post by clone on Mar 12, 2012 14:54:48 GMT -8
Trial of former prime minister of Iceland begins Geir Haarde charged with negligence over failure to prevent collapse of Iceland's main bank Associated Press The Guardian, Monday 5 March 2012 Iceland's former prime minister will appear in court to answer charges over his role in the 2008 financial crisis. Geir Haarde became a symbol of the get-rich bubble for Icelanders, many of whom lost their jobs and homes after the country's main commercial bank collapsed, sending inflation soaring and its currency into a nosedive. Haarde is accused of negligence in failing to prevent the financial implosion from which the island country is still struggling to emerge. www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/mar/05/iceland-pm-charged-crisis
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