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Icelandic Hekla volcano shows signs of activity

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 08:40:51 GMT

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Iceland

Other stories from Iceland

27 March 2013: Icelandic Hekla volcano shows signs of activity
17 December 2011: Iceland formally recognises Palestinian state with pre-1967 borders
15 May 2011: Azerbaijan win 2011 Eurovision Song Contest
11 April 2011: Iceland voters reject deal to repay billions to UK, Dutch
7 April 2011: ACLU, EFF challenging US 'secret' court orders seeking Twitter data

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Location of Iceland

To write, edit, start or view other articles on Iceland, see the Iceland Portal

A gated field with a snowcovered Hekla in the background
Image: Sverrir Thorolfsson.

Yesterday, at 11:00am local time in Iceland, the National Commissioner of the Icelandic Police declared an "uncertainty phase", the lowest civilian volcanic alert level, for the country's Hekla stratovolcano which is located on the southern part of island nation. The warning was intended to aid in preparations of potential evacuations.

Given the uniqueness of the earthquake activity as it applies to this particular volcano, today, the Icelandic Meteorological Office upgraded their aviation alert for the area to Yellow. At the same time, Police advised against hiking in the area but were not enforcing this. Monitoring of the area has also been stepped up.

The United States Geological Survey international earthquake map showed no earthquakes in Iceland in the week prior. The Icelandic Meteorological Office also reported no earthquake activity in the Hekla area in the past 48 hours. The significant earthquake activity resulting in the phase change had took place on March 10 on the northeast side of the volcano's summit caldera. Dark clouds unrelated to any volcanic activity were reported at the base of the mountain. The clouds presented the potential for confusion as to whether an actual eruption had taken place.

Hekla last erupted in 2000, and has a history of exploding roughly every ten years. Icelandic volcanic activity attracted international attention as a result of an April 2010 explosion of another volcano that had shut down European airspace for several days.

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Sources [edit]

Australian Associated Press. "Odd seismic activity at Iceland volcano" — MSN NZ, March 27, 2013
Global Volcanism Program. "Hekla" — Smithsonian Institution, March 27, 2013 (date of access)
"Southern Iceland - earthquakes during the last 48 hours" — Icelandic Meteorological Office, March 27, 2013 (date of access)
"10-degree Map Centered at 55°N,30°W" — U.S. Geological Survey, March 27, 2013 (date of access)
Erik Klemetti. "Alert Status Raised at Iceland’s Hekla" — Wired Magazine, March 26, 2013
The Associated Press. "Iceland earthquakes prompt warning near Hekla volcano" — CTV, March 26, 2013
"Possible Eruption in South Iceland’s Hekla Volcano" — Iceland Review Online, March 26, 2013

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Iceland formally recognises Palestinian state with pre-1967 borders

Sat, 17 Dec 2011 05:34:13 GMT

Saturday, December 17, 2011

Iceland

Other stories from Iceland

27 March 2013: Icelandic Hekla volcano shows signs of activity
17 December 2011: Iceland formally recognises Palestinian state with pre-1967 borders
15 May 2011: Azerbaijan win 2011 Eurovision Song Contest
11 April 2011: Iceland voters reject deal to repay billions to UK, Dutch
7 April 2011: ACLU, EFF challenging US 'secret' court orders seeking Twitter data

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Location of Iceland

To write, edit, start or view other articles on Iceland, see the Iceland Portal

Riayd al-Maliki (left) and Össur Skarphéðinsson (right) at the ceremony in Reykjavík, Iceland
Image: Jabbi.

This Thursday, following a vote two weeks ago in the Icelandic parliament, the country's government granted formal recognition to the state of Palestine. The Althingi's move ratifies recognition of Palestine with borders as-before the 1967 Six-Day War.

In the vote taken by the 63 members of parliament, 38 voted for and 13 abstained. In passing the resolution Iceland became the first Western European state to formally recognise the Palestinian state. In late November Cyprus similarly recognised Palestine with 1967 borders.

The move by the Icelandic government comes as European states such as France, Spain, and Ireland have upgraded their countries' Palestinian missions to full embassies recently.

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Sister links [edit]

Peace process in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict on Wikipedia.

Sources [edit]

"Is the campaign for Palestinian recognition succeeding?" — Al Jazeera, December 15 2011
DPA. "Iceland formally recognizes Palestinian state within 1967 lines" — Haaretz, December 15 2011
AP. "Iceland recognises Palestinian state" — Guardian, November 30 2011

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Azerbaijan win 2011 Eurovision Song Contest

Sun, 15 May 2011 13:57:51 GMT

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Eurovision Song Contest

Sources [edit]

"Eurovision Song Contest 2011 Final" — Eurovision, May 14, 2011
"Azerbaijan wins the Eurovision Song Contest" — BBC News Online, May 15, 2011
"Winner's Press Conference: "We want to bring Europe together"" — Eurovision.tv, May 15, 2011
"Eurovision 2011: Semifinals results revealed" — ESC Today, May 15, 2011

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Iceland voters reject deal to repay billions to UK, Dutch

Mon, 11 Apr 2011 00:05:22 GMT

Monday, April 11, 2011

Coat of arms of Iceland

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Iceland

Other stories from Iceland

27 March 2013: Icelandic Hekla volcano shows signs of activity
17 December 2011: Iceland formally recognises Palestinian state with pre-1967 borders
15 May 2011: Azerbaijan win 2011 Eurovision Song Contest
11 April 2011: Iceland voters reject deal to repay billions to UK, Dutch
7 April 2011: ACLU, EFF challenging US 'secret' court orders seeking Twitter data

...More articles here

Location of Iceland

To write, edit, start or view other articles on Iceland, see the Iceland Portal

Results from Iceland's referendum on Saturday show that Icelanders overwhelmingly voted "no" on a government-approved plan to repay Britain and the Netherlands billions of euros lost in Iceland's 2008 bank crash.

In Sunday's final results almost 60 percent rejected the deal, with the voting turnout high, the government reported. This is the second repayment plan rejected by the voters; the first one was rejected by 93 percent last year.

British and Dutch investors lost 3.9 billion euros ($5.6 billion) in Icesave, an Icelandic internet bank that failed in Iceland's economic collapse of 2008. The two governments reimbursed their citizens and are now seeking repayment from Iceland. Iceland compensated its own citizens for losses but not overseas depositors.

The latest repayment plan took two years to work out between Britain, the Netherlands and Iceland and was passed by a 70 percent majority of the Icelandic parliament. It provided for a lower interest rate and a longer repayment period, conditions much more beneficial to Iceland than the previous plan. The cost would average about 12,000 euros before interest per Icelander. Those against the referendum felt that amount was a heavy burden on Iceland and the taxpayer was not legally responsible for a private bank's losses.

In a press conference, Iceland's Finance Minister Steingrimur Sigfusson said, "I think it's very hard to interpret this in any other way than the fact that the Icelandic people are not prepared to accept payments or shoulder the burden unless there is a clear legal obligation to do so." He said that Iceland can pay its debts and the country has the reserves to cover future payments.

But Iceland's Prime Minister Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir said the referendum results were disappointing and have divided the country. She considers acceptance of the payment plan essential to Iceland's attempts to join the European Union (EU). Under an EU directive, Britain and the Netherlands are owed compensation by Iceland. The International Monetary Fund's 2009 loan to Iceland of $2.1 billion contained the provision that Iceland repay the British and Dutch governments. Britain and the Netherlands are in a position to block Iceland's application for European Union membership.

The Netherlands and Britain said the opportunity to negotiate has passed and the dispute will end up before the European Free Trade Association, the court for the European Economic Area.

British Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander said that the British government had fulfilled its obligation to its citizens to compensate them for their losses. "We have an obligation now to get that money back, and we will continue to pursue that until we do. ... We have a difficult financial position as a country and this money would help."

Dutch Finance Minister Jan Kees de Jager said, "Iceland remains obliged to repay. The issue is now for the courts to decide."

The increasingly bitter dispute must be resolved for Iceland to have access to financial markets essential to fund its recovery, experts say, and resolution is essential for Iceland's attempts to become an EU member.

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Sources [edit]

Agnes Valdimarsdottir. "Iceland has 'no problem' repaying debt" — The Sidney Morning Herald, April 11, 2011
"UK and Netherlands to sue Iceland over lost deposits" — BBC News Online, April 10, 2011
"UK to sue Iceland over lost billions, official says" — CNN, April 10, 2011

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ACLU, EFF challenging US 'secret' court orders seeking Twitter data

Thu, 07 Apr 2011 15:08:20 GMT

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Logo of the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

Logo of the American Civil Liberties Union.

Late last month, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) filed objections to the United States Government's 'secret' attempts to obtain Twitter account information relating to WikiLeaks. The ACLU and EFF cite First and Fourth amendment issues as overriding reasons to overturn government attempts to keep their investigation secret; and, that with Birgitta Jonsdottir being an Icelandic Parliamentarian, the issue has serious international implications.

The case, titled "In the Matter of the 2703(d) Order Relating to Twitter Accounts: Wikileaks, Rop_G, IOERROR; and BirgittaJ", has been in the EFF's sights since late last year when they became aware of the US government's attempts to investigate WikiLeaks-related communications using the popular microblogging service.

Case background [edit]

2009 File photo of Bradley Manning.
Image: Daniel Joseph Barnhart Clark.

The key objective of this US government investigation is to obtain data for the prosecution of Bradley Manning, alleged to have supplied classified data to WikiLeaks. In addition to Manning's Twitter account, and that of WikiLeaks (@wikileaks), the following three accounts are subject to the order: @ioerror, @birgittaj, and @rop_g. These, respectively, belong to Jacob Apelbaum, Birgitta Jonsdottir, and Rop Gonggrijp.

Birgitta is not the only non-US citizen with their Twitter account targetted by the US Government; Gonggrijp, a Dutch 'ex-hacker'-turned-security-expert, was one of the founders of XS4ALL – the first Internet Service Provider in the Netherlands available to the public. He has worked on a mobile phone that can encrypt conversations, and proven that electronic voting systems can readily be hacked.

In early March, a Virginia magistrate judge ruled that the government could have the sought records, and neither the targetted users, or the public, could see documents submitted to justify data being passed to the government. The data sought is as follows:

Personal contact information, including addresses
Financial data, including credit card or bank account numbers
Twitter account activity information, including the "date, time, length, and method of connections" plus the "source and destination Internet Protocol address(es)"
Direct Message (DM) information, including the email addresses and IP addresses of everyone with whom the Parties have exchanged DMs

The order demands disclosure of absolutely all such data from November 1, 2009 for the targetted accounts.

The ACLU and EFF are not only challenging this, but demanding that all submissions made by the US government to justify the Twitter disclosure are made public, plus details of any other such cases which have been processed in secret.

The Manning connection [edit]

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Gun camera footage of the airstrike of July 12, 2007 in Baghdad, showing the slaying of Namir Noor-Eldeen and a dozen other civilians by a U.S. helicopter.
Image: WikiLeaks.

Bradley Manning, at the time a specialist from Maryland enlisted with the United States Army's 2nd Brigade, 10th Mountain Division, was arrested in June last year in connection with the leaking of classified combat video to WikiLeaks.

The leaked video footage, taken from a US helicopter gunship, showed the deaths of Reuters staff Saeed Chmagh and Namir Noor-Eldeen during a U.S. assault in Baghdad, Iraq. The wire agency unsuccessfully attempted to get the footage released via a Freedom of Information Act request in 2007.

When WikiLeaks released the video footage it directly contradicted the official line taken by the U.S. Army asserting that the deaths of the two Reuters staff were "collateral damage" in an attack on Iraqi insurgents. The radio chatter associated with the AH-64 Apache video indicated the helicopter crews had mistakenly identified the journalists' equipment as weaponry.

The US government also claims Manning is linked to CableGate; the passing of around a quarter of a million classified diplomatic cables to WikiLeaks. Manning has been in detention since July last year; in December allegations of torture were made to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights regarding the conditions under which he was and is being detained.

Reports last month that he must now sleep naked and attend role call at the U.S. Marine facility in Quantico in the same state, raised further concern over his detention conditions. Philip J. Crowley, at-the-time a State Department spokesman, remarked on this whilst speaking at Massachusetts Institute of Technology; describing the current treatment of Manning as "ridiculous and counterproductive and stupid", Crowley was, as a consequence, put in the position of having to tender his resignation to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

The United States Government versus WikiLeaks [edit]

Logo of WikiLeaks.

Despite his native Australia finding, in December last year, that Assange's WikiLeaks had not committed any criminal offences in their jurisdiction, the U.S. government has continued to make ongoing operations very difficult for the whistleblower website.

The result of the Australian Federal Police investigation left the country's Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, having to retract a statement that WikiLeaks had acted "illegally"; instead, she characterised the site's actions as "grossly irresponsible".

Even with Australia finding no illegal activity on the part of WikiLeaks, and with founder Julian Assange facing extradition to Sweden, U.S. pressure sought to hobble WikiLeaks financially.

Based on a State Department letter, online payments site PayPal suspended WikiLeaks account in December. Their action was swiftly followed by Visa Europe and Mastercard ceasing to handle payments for WikiLeaks.

The online processing company, Datacell, threatened the two credit card giants with legal action over this. However, avenues of funding for the site were further curtailed when both Amazon.com and Swiss bank PostFinance joined the financial boycott of WikiLeaks.

Assange continues, to this day, to argue that his extradition to Sweden for questioning on alleged sexual offences is being orchestrated by the U.S. in an effort to discredit him, and thus WikiLeaks.

State-of-the-(Black)-Art, or CyberWarfare [edit]

Logo of Twitter.

Wikinews consulted an IT and cryptography expert from the Belgian university which developed the current Advanced Encryption Standard; explaining modern communications, he stated: "Cryptography has developed to such a level that intercepting communications is no longer cost effective. That is, if any user uses the correct default settings, and makes sure that he/she is really connecting to Twitter it is highly unlikely that even the NSA can break the cryptography for a protocol such as SSL/TLS (used for https)."

Qualifying this, he commented that "the vulnerable parts of the communication are the end points." To make his point, he cited the following quote from Gene Spafford: "Using encryption on the Internet is the equivalent of arranging an armored car to deliver credit card information from someone living in a cardboard box to someone living on a park bench."

Continuing, the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (KUL) expert explained:

"In the first place, the weak point is Twitter itself; the US government can go and ask for the data; companies such as Twitter and Google will typically store quite some information on their users, including IP addresses (it is known that Google deletes the last byte of the IP address after a few weeks, but it is not too hard for a motivated opponent to find out what this byte was)."

"In the second place, this is the computer of the user: by exploiting system weaknesses (with viruses, Trojan horses or backdoors in the operating system) a highly motivated opponent can enter your machine and record your keystrokes plus everything that is happening (e.g. the FBI is known to do this with the so-called Magic Lantern software). Such software is also commercially available, e.g. for a company to monitor its employees."

Seal of the Catholic University of Leuven.

"It would also be possible for a higly motivated opponent to play "man-in-the-middle"; that means that instead of having a secure connection to Twitter.com, you have a secure connection to the attacker's server, who impersonates Twitter's and then relays your information to Twitter. This requires tricks such as spoofing DNS (this is getting harder with DNSsec), or misleading the user (e.g. the user clicks on a link and connects to tw!tter.com or Twitter.c0m, which look very similar in a URL window as Twitter.com). It is clear that the US government is capable of using these kind of tricks; e.g., a company has been linked to the US government that was recognized as legitimate signer in the major browsers, so it would not be too large for them to sign a legitimate certificate for such a spoofing webserver; this means that the probability that a user would detect a problem would be very low."

"As for traffic analysis (finding out who you are talking to rather than finding out what you are telling to whom), NSA and GCHQ are known to have access to lots of traffic (part of this is obtained via the UK-USA agreement). Even if one uses strong encryption, it is feasible for them to log the IP addresses and email addresses of all the parties you are connecting to. If necessary, they can even make routers re-route your traffic to their servers. In addition, the European Data Retention directive forces all operators to store such traffic data."

"Whether other companies would have complied with such requests: this is very hard to tell. I believe however that it is very plausible that companies such as Google, Skype or Facebook would comply with such requests if they came from a government."

"In summary: unless you go through great lengths to log through to several computers in multiple countries, you work in a clean virtual machine, you use private browser settings (don't accept cookies, no plugins for Firefox, etc.) and use tools such as Tor, it is rather easy for any service provider to identify you."

"Finally: I prefer not to be quoted on any sentences in which I make statements on the capabilities or actions of any particular government."

Views of a security expert [edit]

Wikinews also consulted French IT security researcher Stevens Le Blond on the issues surrounding the case, and the state-of-the-art in monitoring, and analysing, communications online. Le Blond, currently presenting a research paper on attacks on Tor to USENIX audiences in North America, responded via email:

Were the US Government to obtain the sought data, it would seem reasonable the NSA would handle further investigation. How would you expect them to exploit the data and expand on what they receive from Twitter?

Le Blond: My understanding is that the DOJ is requesting the following information: 1) Connection records and session times 2) IP addresses 3) e-mail addresses 4) banking info

By requesting 1) and 2) for Birgitta and other people involved with WikiLeaks (WL) since 2009, one could derive 2 main [pieces of] information.

Logo of the Tor project.

First, he could tell the mobility of these people. Recent research in networking shows that you can map an IP address into a geographic location with a median error of 600 meters. So by looking at changes of IP addresses in time for a Twitter user, one could tell (or at least speculate about) where that person has been.

Second, by correlating locations of different people involved with WL in time, one could possibly derive their interactions and maybe even their level of involvement with WL. Whether it is possible to derive this information from 1) and 2) depends on how this people use Twitter. For example, do they log on Twitter often enough, long enough, and from enough places?

My research indicates that this is the case for other Internet services but I cannot tell whether it is the case for Twitter.

Note that even though IP logging, as done by Twitter, is similar to the logging done by GSM [mobile phone] operators, the major difference seems to be that Twitter is subject to US regulation, no matter the citizenship of its users. I find this rather disturbing.

Using 3), one could search for Birgitta on other Internet services, such as social networks, to find more information on her (e.g., hidden accounts). Recent research on privacy shows that people tend to use the same e-mail address to register an account on different social networks (even when they don't want these accounts to be linked together). Obviously, one could then issue subpoenas for these accounts as well.

I do not have the expertise to comment on what could be done with 4).

WN As I believe Jonsdottir to be involved in the Icelandic Modern Media Initiative (IMMI), what are the wider implications beyond the "WikiLeaks witchhunt"?

Le Blond: Personal data can be used to discredit, especially if the data is not public.

Liberty, and the Electronic Frontier [edit]

Having been alerted to the ongoing case through a joint press release by the ACLU and EFF, Wikinews sought clarification on the primary issues which the two non-profits saw as particularly important in challenging the U.S. Government over the 'secret' court orders. Rebecca Jeschke, Media Relations Director for the EFF, explained in more detail the points crucial to them, responding to a few questions from Wikinews on the case:

WN As a worse-case, what precedents would be considered if this went to the Supreme Court?

Rebecca Jeschke: It's extremely hard to know at this stage if this would go to the Supreme Court, and if it did, what would be at issue. However, some of the interesting questions about this case center on the rights of people around the world when they use US Internet services. This case questions the limits of US law enforcement, which may turn out to be very different from the limits in other countries.

WN Since this is clearly a politicised attack on free speech with most chilling potential repercussions for the press, whistleblowers, and by-and-large anyone the relevant U.S. Government departments objects to the actions of, what action do you believe should be taken to protect free speech rights?

Jeschke: We believe that, except in very rare circumstances, the government should not be permitted to obtain information about individuals' private Internet communications in secret. We also believe that Internet companies should, whenever possible, take steps to ensure their customers are notified about requests for information and have the opportunity to respond.

WN Twitter via the web, in my experience, tends to use https:// connections. Are you aware of any possibility of the government cracking such connections? (I'm not up to date on the crypto arms race).

Jeschke: You don't need to crack https, per se, to compromise its security. See this piece about fraudulent https certificates:

Iranian hackers obtain fraudulent https — EFF website.

WN And, do you believe that far, far more websites should - by default - employ https:// connections to protect people's privacy?

Jeschke: We absolutely think that more websites should employ https! Here is a guide for site operators: (See external links, Ed.)

Birgitta Jonsdottir responds [edit]

Finally, Wikinews approached the Icelandic politician, and WikiLeaks supporter, who has made this specific case a landmark in how the U.S. Government handles dealings with – supposedly – friendly governments and their elected representatives. A number of questions were posed, seeking the Icelandic Parliamentarian's views:

WN How did you feel when you were notified the US Government wanted your Twitter account, and message, details? Were you shocked?

Birgitta Jonsdottir's Facebook profile picture.

Birgitta Jonsdottir: I felt angry but not shocked. I was expecting something like this to happen because of my involvement with WikiLeaks. My first reaction was to tweet about it.

WN What do you believe is their reasoning in selecting you as a 'target'?

Jonsdottir: It is quite clear to me that USA authorities are after Julian Assange and will use any means possible to get even with him. I think I am simply a pawn in a much larger context. I did of course both act as a spokesperson for WikiLeaks in relation to the Apache video and briefly for WikiLeaks, and I put my name to the video as a co-producer. I have not participated in any illegal activity and thus being a target doesn't make me lose any sleep.

WN Are you concerned that, as a Member of Parliament involved in the Icelandic Modern Media Initiative (IMMI), the US attempt to obtain your Twitter data is interfering with planned Icelandic government policy?

Jonsdottir: No

WN In an earlier New York Times (NYT) article, you're indicating there is nothing they can obtain about you that bothers you; but, how do you react to them wanting to know everyone you talk to?

Jonsdottir: It bothers me and according to top computer scientists the government should be required to obtain a search warrant to get our IP addresses from Twitter. I am, though, happy I am among the people DOJ is casting their nets around because of my parliamentary immunity; I have a greater protection then many other users and can use that immunity to raise the issue of lack of rights for those that use social media.

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WN The same NYT article describes you as a WikiLeaks supporter; is this still the case? What attracts you to their 'radical transparency'?

Jonsdottir: I support the concept of WikiLeaks. While we don't have a culture of protection for sources and whistleblowers we need sites like WikiLeaks. Plus, I think it is important to give WikiLeaks credit for raising awareness about in how bad shape freedom of information and expression is in our world and it is eroding at an alarming rate because of the fact that legal firms for corporations and corrupt politicians have understood the borderless nature of the legalities of the information flow online – we who feel it is important that people have access to information that should remain in the public domain need to step up our fight for those rights. WikiLeaks has played an important role in that context.
I don't support radical transparency – I understand that some things need to remain secret. It is the process of making things secret that needs to be both more transparent and in better consensus with nations.

WN How do you think the Icelandic government would have reacted if it were tens of thousands of their diplomatic communications being leaked?

Jonsdottir: I am not sure – A lot of our dirty laundry has been aired via the USA cables – our diplomatic communications with USA were leaked in those cables, so far they have not stirred much debate nor shock. It is unlikely for tens of thousands of cables to leak from Iceland since we dont have the same influence or size as the USA, nor do we have a military.

WN Your ambassador in the US has spoken to the Obama administration. Can you discuss any feedback from that? Do you have your party's, and government's, backing in challenging the ordered Twitter data release?

Jonsdottir: I have not had any feedback from that meeting, I did however receive a message from the DOJ via the USA ambassador in Iceland. The message stated three things: 1. I am free to travel to the USA. 2. If I would do so, I would not be a subject of involuntary interrogation. 3. I am not under criminal investigation. If this is indeed the reality I wonder why they are insisting on getting my personal details from Twitter. I want to stress that I understand the reasoning of trying to get to Assange through me, but I find it unacceptable since there is no foundation for criminal investigation against him. If WikiLeaks goes down, all the other media partners should go down at the same time. They all served similar roles. The way I see it is that WikiLeaks acted as the senior editor of material leaked to them. They could not by any means be considered a source. The source is the person that leaks the material to WikiLeaks. I am not sure if the media in our world understands how much is at stake for already shaky industry if WikiLeaks will carry on carrying the brunt of the attacks. I think it would be powerful if all the medias that have had access to WikiLeaks material would band together for their defence.

WN Wikinews consulted a Belgian IT security expert who said it was most likely companies such as Facebook, Microsoft, and Google, would have complied with similar court orders *without advising the 'targets*'. Does that disturb you?

Jonsdottir: This does disturb me for various reasons. The most obvious is that my emails are hosted at google/gmail and my search profile. I dont have anything to hide but it is important to note that many of the people that interact with me as a MP via both facebook and my various email accounts don't always realize that there is no protection for them if they do so via those channels. I often get sensitive personal letters sent to me at facebook and gmail. In general most people are not aware of how little rights they have as users of social media. It is those of uttermost importance that those sites will create the legal disclaimers and agreements that state the most obvious rights we lose when we sign up to their services.

This exclusive interview features first-hand journalism by a Wikinews reporter. See the collaboration page for more details.

WN Has there been any backlash within Iceland against US-based internet services in light of this? Do you expect such, or any increase in anti-American sentiments?

Jonsdottir: No, none what so ever. I dont think there is much anti-American sentiments in Iceland and I dont think this case will increase it. However I think it is important for everyone who does not live in the USA and uses social services to note that according to the ruling in my case, they dont have any protection of the 1st and 4th amendment, that only apply to USA citizens. Perhaps the legalities in relation to the borderless reality we live in online need to be upgraded in order for people to feel safe with using social media if it is hosted in the USA. Market tends to bend to simple rules.

WN Does this make you more, or less, determined to see the IMMI succeed?

Jonsdottir: More. People have to realize that if we dont have freedom of information online we won't have it offline. We have to wake up to the fact that our rights to access information that should be in the public domain is eroding while at the same time our rights as citizens online have now been undermined and we are only seen as consumers with consumers rights and in some cases our rights are less than of a product. This development needs to change and change fast before it is too late.

Ongoing U.S. Government versus WikiLeaks fallout [edit]

The U.S. Government continues to have issues internationally as a result of material passed to WikiLeaks, and subsequently published.

Within the past week, Ecuador has effectively declared the U.S. ambassador Heather Hodges persona-non-grata over corruption allegations brought to light in leaked cables. Asking the veteran diplomat to leave "as soon as possible", the country may become the third in South America with no ambassadorial presence. Both Venezuela and Bolivia have no resident U.S. ambassador due to the two left-wing administrations believing the ejected diplomats were working with the opposition.

The U.S. State Department has cautioned Ecuador that a failure to speedily normalise diplomatic relations may jeapordise ongoing trade talks.

The United Kingdom is expected to press the Obama administration over the continuing detention of 23-year-old Manning, who also holds UK citizenship. British lawmakers are to discuss his ongoing detention conditions before again approaching the U.S. with their concerns that his solitary confinement, and treatment therein, is not acceptable.

The 22 charges brought against Manning are currently on hold whilst his fitness to stand trial is assessed.

Sources [edit]

This article is a featured article. It is considered one of the best works of the Wikinews community. See Wikinews:Featured articles for more information.

Jim Wyss. "Ecuador asks U.S. ambassador to leave over statements exposed by WikiLeaks" — The Province, April 5, 2011
Dennis Fisher. "Attacking and defending the Tor network" — threatpost.com, March 29, 2011
Barton Gellman. "Twitter, Wikileaks and the broken market for consumer privacy" — time.com, January 14, 2011
Scott Shane. "U.S. subpoenas Twitter Over Wikileaks supporters" — New York Times, January 8, 2011
"PayPal says it stopped Wikileaks payments on US letter" — BBC News Online, December 8, 2010
Jerry Brito. "Birgitta Jónsdóttir on the Icelandic Modern Media Initiative" — The Technology Liberation Front, August 10, 2010
Detlef Borchers. "Hacking at Random: CCC demonstrates TEMPEST measurement of voting machines" — The H, August 16, 2009
"Encrypted GSM mobile cell phone launched in Germany" — Mathaba, November 20, 2003
Francisco van Jole. "Hacking at the end of the universe" — de Volkskrant, July 31, 1993 (Dutch)

External links [edit]

History of XS4ALL — XS4ALL
Government demands for Twitter records of Birgitta Jonsdottir — EFF
Full ACLU, EFF Brief — EFF
How to deploy https correctly — An EFF guide

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New ash flight bans ordered in Ireland

Mon, 03 May 2010 22:25:25 GMT

Monday, May 3, 2010

Ireland

Sources [edit]

"Ireland to re-impose flight bans due to volcanic ash" — BBC News Online, May 3, 2010
"Ireland, Britain eye new ash flight bans" — Canadian Business Online, May 3, 2010
Agence France-Presse. "Ireland, Britain eye new ash flight bans" — Herald Sun, May 3, 2010

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Europe's airline chaos: in depth

Sat, 17 Apr 2010 02:58:57 GMT

Saturday, April 17, 2010

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Aviation experts are warning that air traffic across western Europe may continue to be affected by an Icelandic volcano, which has been billowing clouds of ash and spreading it throughout the region.

An approximate depiction of the estimated ash cloud, as of 18.00 UTC.

Experts say that the Eyjafjallajökull volcano, located in Iceland, continues to have "sporadic eruptions"; dark ash clouds have been moving south and east of the area, causing mass flight cancellations all over Europe, spanning from the UK to Russia over fears that the soot may be catastrophic to planes - such as causing engines to fail in-flight or severely reducing the pilot's visibility.

The ash clouds are drifting between six to nine thousand meters above the ground, and are moving eastwards, over northern France and Austria and towards Russia at about 40 kilometers per hour.

Already, thousands of passengers have been left stranded around the world, unable to travel to and from various points in Europe. The continent's air-traffic control center predicted 17,000 flights to have been cancelled on Friday alone, and indicated there would be further disruption today. The cancellations are costing airlines about US$200 million daily, the International Air Transport Association reports.

A global association of air traffic control companies commented that ash clouds would probably continue to affect flights for some time. "The knock-on effect of the volcanic ash plume over northern Europe is likely to disrupt European airspace for several days," the Civil Air Navigation Services Organization said in a statement. "Traffic will have to be reorganized and rerouted and flights preplanned, all on a dynamic and quite unpredictable basis."

"The skies are totally empty over northern Europe," said Eurocontrol's deputy head, Bryan Flynn. The agency said more than half of Europe's average 28,000 daily flights were cancelled yesterday, twice as many as were called off on Thursday.

In a special report, Wikinews takes a look at how different countries have been affected by this event.

Germany [edit]

All of Germany's sixteen airports with international flights have been shut down today, including the busy Frankfurt airport. A spokesman for carrier Lufthansa says all of its flights were cancelled until no sooner than 20.00 local time (18.00 UTC). He said that there were no planes from the airline in the air anywhere on the globe. "There has never been anything like this," he said.

Iceland [edit]

Icelandic airports are open, despite being in such close proximity to the billowing volcano, as the winds are blowing ash clouds away from the vicinity.

The Icelandic Met Office's Matthew Roberts, told the BBC that the volcano hasn't been expending as much ash, and that the eruption was slowing down.

Icelandic officials are urging local residents with respiratory problems to refrain from going outdoors, and encourages the use of protective goggles and masks to those who do go out.

Most disruption in the country has actually been to ground, not air, traffic. Local police chief Kjartan Thorkelsson commented: "We had to close roads because of the ash yesterday [Thursday], even though it was not very thick." He added that the ash "is particularly dangerous for animals, since it can go into water and the grass they eat, [but] [i]t is not as dangerous to humans".

HAVE YOUR SAY
Have you, or someone you know, been affected in some way by these cancellations? Tell us your story!
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Experts suggest that occasional disruptions are possible throughout the next half year, should Eyjafjallajokull continue to erupt. Another concern is that it may trigger an eruption from the larger Katla volcano nearby, which has occurred every time Eyjafjallajokull has erupted for the past few centuries.

Japan [edit]

Even countries as far away as Japan were affected by the ash clouds. A correspondent for the BBC, in Tokyo's Narita Airport, says that many travellers en route to Europe had to spend the night in the departure lounge because their flights were cancelled: "Airlines have handed out sleeping bags and blankets but there have been complaints there aren't enough to go round. The longer the airports are closed the longer the backlog of passengers builds up," he reports.

Poland [edit]

Polish authorities have suggested that they will delay the funeral of deceased president Lech Kaczynski, who died in a plane crash in Russia last week. Many world leaders planning to attend the funeral might be prevented from doing so due to the ash clouds. Poland was one of twelve to close down most or all of its airspace.

The president's family, however, has insisted the ceremony, to be held in Krakow, proceed as planned.

United Kingdom [edit]

Mass cancellations at Heathrow Airport; only a few flights have not been called off.
Image: KTo288.

The UK's National Air Traffic Service (NATS), says that its restrictions on airspace in the country would remain in effect until no sooner than 13.00 UTC today. Travel bans for Northern Ireland and Scotland have been lifted, although NATS stressed that this does not necessarily mean flights to and from the area will actually resume.

Ryanair, meanwhile, cancelled all its northern Europe flights until 13.00 on Monday. British Airways called off all of its flights from London airports.

UK ferry operators saw a jump in bookings as stranded air travellers sought other ways to cross the English Channel.

A spokesman with the British Civil Aviation Authority commented that, [i]n terms of closure of airspace, this is worse than after 9/11. The disruption is probably larger than anything we've seen."

A correspondent for Al Jazeera reporting from London Heathrow airport described stranded travellers' attitude as being "increasingly frustrated". He remarked: "Some sources I've been speaking to have been indicating that this will probably be extended further. There may be intermittent disruptions to flights for months to come."

United States [edit]

The Icelandic volcano may cause the US to experience volcanic sunsets. Vulcanologist Jay Miller claims, "Once it stops erupting it will take a few days to settle out. As long as there's ash in the atmosphere or any pollutant for that matter, you'll see these alterations in the color we see in the sky."

Brian Toon of University of Colorado, Boulder, says: "It's unlikely any of this volcanic ash will get as far as the United States. But it is possible. It's just rare. It's likely the stuff will get washed out before it ever gets here."

American Airlines, in the meantime, announced it had cancelled 56 of its flights to and from Europe today, and the same amount yesterday; countries to which flights were not called off were Italy and Spain. US-based airlines make 337 flights between Europe and the US daily; of those, 280 were cancelled yesterday, the Air Transport Association of America says.

Chile [edit]

The Icelandic volcano has not caused many problems in Chile. SCL reported to El Mercurio that just a flight has been cancelled. The flight was operated by Air France, that may had went at the 16:00 local time to France. "We don't know if this suspended flight will go, yet," SCL reported, and warranted that "Air France is not going today." SCL also stated that has not been cancelled any other flights, but that could change as the time goes by.

Have an opinion on this story? Post it!

Sources [edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media about Eyjafjöll 2010 eruption.

Wikipedia has more about this subject:

Air travel disruption after the 2010 Eyjafjallajökull eruption

"Volcanic ash: Europe flights grounded for third day" — BBC News Online, April 17, 2010
Lawless. "Flight disruptions in Europe get even worse" — Associated Press, April 16, 2010
"Ash to cause further air chaos" — Al Jazeera, April 16, 2010
"Volcanic ash: Air travel 'facing days of chaos'" — BBC News Online, April 16, 2010
"Live: Volcanic cloud over Europe" — BBC News Online, April 16, 2010
"Volcanic ash: Flight chaos to continue into weekend" — BBC News Online, April 16, 2010
Bryner, Jeanna. "Icelandic volcano creates gorgeous sunsets" — MSNBC, April 16, 2010
"Factbox: Impact of volcanic ash cloud on Europe" — Reuters, April 16, 2010
"American cancels 56 European flights on Saturday" — Reuters, April 16, 2010
María Francisca Prieto. "Nube de ceniza volcánica no ha afectado vuelos desde Chile hacia Europa" — El Mercurio OnLine, April 16, 2010 (Spanish)

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European airspace closed by volcanic ash

Thu, 15 Apr 2010 21:14:38 GMT

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Approximate depiction of the estimated ash cloud at 18:00 UTC on 17 April 2010. The current forecasts are updated at London Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre site (Met Office, UK).

Area in which aviation was endangered by volcanic ash. Situation estimated for April 15, 2010 at 18:00 UTC.

Hundreds of thousands of air travelers had their travel plans disrupted in Europe by volcanic ash from the Eyjafjallajökull eruption.

Tens of thousands of air travelers were stranded when all flights into and out of the United Kingdom were grounded, as it became one of the first nations to be affected. The grounding was even more extensive than that following the September 11 attacks of 2001 when only trans-Atlantic flights were canceled.

Eurocontrol released a statement saying "...most air traffic in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Denmark, Norway and Sweden is suspended."

The grounding is because the volcanic ash drawn into the jet stream is of a particle size which allows it to remain aloft in the atmosphere. Ingestion of this foreign matter, because of its distribution, would lead to flame outs in all aircraft engines. The composition of the ash also means that it would first melt into glass if it were to enter the engine of an aircraft before solidifying again as it cooled. This could lead to damage to the compressors and fan blades, which would make it impossible to restart the engines, even if the aircraft were to exit the cloud.

The current contingency is informed by the experience of British Airways Flight 9, which on June 24, 1982 suffered just such complete engine flame outs when it flew through the plume of Mount Galunggung in Indonesia. In that case, the flight crew after many efforts was able to restart the engines, though one failed shortly after, and the aircraft landed without casualties.

The UK National Air Traffic Services (NATS) has stated that "restrictions will remain in place in UK controlled airspace until 1300 (UK time) tomorrow, Friday 16 April, at the earliest," and that "We will review further Met Office information and at 0230 (UK time) tomorrow we will advise the arrangements that will be in place through to 1800 (UK time) tomorrow." The NATS statement concluded "...the situation cannot be said to be improving".

In addition to Northern Europe, the ash is drifting south; Berlin and Hamburg airports in Germany are closed, and airports in the Netherlands, Belgium and Northern France are described as now being closed or closing. Some flights from Spain and Portugal, together with upwards of 4,000 flights across Northern Europe, have been affected, and the knock-on effect of aircraft and crews out of position could disrupt air travel worldwide for up to 72 hours.

One affected group are British musicians booked to play at this weekend's Coachella Festival in California. Amongst those stranded are Frightened Rabbit, Gary Numan, The Cribs and Bad Lieutenant.

Have an opinion on this story? Post it!

Sources [edit]

"UK extends air restrictions after Icelandic eruption" — BBC, April 15, 2010
Sam Jones, Jill Insley, Hilary Osborne. "Iceland volcano eruption leaves holiday plans in ashes" — The Guardian, April 15, 2010
Mary Bowers. "Planes to be grounded 'until tomorrow evening'" — The Times, April 15, 2010
Dhruti Shah. "Heathrow skies silenced by Iceland volcanic ash cloud" — BBC, April 15, 2010
Margaret Wappler. "Coachella affected by volcanic ash closing European airports; Frightened Rabbit, Cribs, Los Campesinos! grounded" — Los Angeles Times, April 15, 2010
"Volcano may force the Cribs to cancel Coachella appearance" — Brooklyn Vegan, April 15, 2010

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External links [edit]

Wikipedia has more about this subject:

Air travel disruption after the 2010 Eyjafjallajökull eruption

Wikimedia Commons has media about Eyjafjöll 2010 eruption.

Ash from Iceland volcano could affect UK flights

Thu, 15 Apr 2010 04:43:24 GMT

Thursday, April 15, 2010

United Kingdom

Sources [edit]

Wikipedia has more about this subject:

2010 eruption of Eyjafjallajökull

"Volcano ash from Iceland hits UK flight plans" — BBC News Online, April 14, 2010
"Icelandic volcanic ash heading for Britain expected to delay flights" — The Telegraph, April 14, 2010

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Volcanic eruption starts on top of Eyjafjallajökull, Iceland

Wed, 14 Apr 2010 22:07:10 GMT

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Iceland

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...More articles here

Location of Iceland

To write, edit, start or view other articles on Iceland, see the Iceland Portal

Eyjafjallajökull glacier
Image: Andreas Tille.

A volcanic eruption has started under the top of Eyjafjallajökull glacier in Iceland, producing plumes of steam rising up to 5,000 feet over the glacier. The eruption has created a large hole in the glacier, as well as a fissure that is forming under the glacier, which is now around 2 kilometers (1 mi) long.

People in the area have been evacuated because of massive flooding due to meltwater from the glacier. The first evacuations began at about 02.00 local time (03.00 UTC) today, because earthquakes in the area had pointed to an imminent eruption. Air traffic is prohibited in a large area around the eruption zone.

This is the second volcanic eruption in this area recently. On March 21, a volcanic eruption occurred in Fimmvörðuháls between the glaciers Eyjafjallajökull and Mýrdalsjökull. The current eruption appears to be much more powerful.

Over the past 1,100 years, Eyjafjallajökull has erupted three times: in 920, 1612, and between 1821–1823. Each of these incidents directly preceded a major eruption in the nearby subglacial volcano, Katla.

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Sources [edit]

Wikipedia has more about this subject:

2010 eruption of Eyjafjallajökull

"800 evacuated as Iceland volcano rumbles" — CNN Wire Staff, April 14, 2010

"Hundreds flee over glacier volcano fears" — BBC News, April 14, 2010

"Mýrdalsjökull - earthquakes during the last 48 hours" — Veðurstofa Íslands (Iceland Met Office), April 14, 2010

"Water level has risen to 84 cm" — RUV (Icelandic Public Radio), April 14, 2010

"English update on eruption" — RUV (Icelandic Public Radio), April 14, 2010

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Icelandic volcanic eruption prompts evacuation, flight diversions

Sun, 21 Mar 2010 05:50:41 GMT

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Iceland

Other stories from Iceland

27 March 2013: Icelandic Hekla volcano shows signs of activity
17 December 2011: Iceland formally recognises Palestinian state with pre-1967 borders
15 May 2011: Azerbaijan win 2011 Eurovision Song Contest
11 April 2011: Iceland voters reject deal to repay billions to UK, Dutch
7 April 2011: ACLU, EFF challenging US 'secret' court orders seeking Twitter data

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Location of Iceland

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A volcanic eruption started yesterday in south Iceland at or near the Eyjafjallajökull glacier. The first signs of the eruption were seen between 23:00 and midnight GMT. It is still not clear where the exact location of the eruption is but it appears to be on Fimmvörðuháls.

Eyjafjallajökull glacier
Image: Andreas Tille.

People living in the area are being evacuated. Police have closed the roads into the area and a state of emergency has been declared. The eruption is expected to result in flooding if it is under the glacier, but fortunately it appears to between Eyjafjallajökull and another glacier, Mýrdalsjökull, reducing the danger of flooding. It is reported that the eruption can be seen as far away as from Vestmannaeyjar. So far the lava flow is viscous and thick.

There is also a danger that this eruption could trigger another eruption on nearby Mt. Katla, which is an off-rift volcano beneath Mýrdalsjökull. In the past, eruptions at Eyjafjallajökull have triggered eruptions at Mt. Katla. If Katla does erupt, the effect would be far more significant than that of the current eruption, as lava could melt the ice at the top of the mountain, causing the potential for massive flooding.

The air carrier Icelandair has diverted flights which were destined for Iceland as a precaution, due to the risks to aircraft of flying into volcanic ash. A notice to airlines prohibits flights within 120 nautical miles of the volcano.

Iceland is a volcanic island situated atop the Mid-Atlantic Ridge at the juncture of the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates.

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Sources [edit]

"Eldgosið við Eyjafjallajökul 2010" — March 21, 2010 (Icelandic)
"Eldgos hafið í Eyjafjallajökli" — RÚV, March 21, 2010 (Icelandic)
Haukur S. Magnússon. "Volcano Erupts Under Eyjafjallajökull" — The Reykjavík Grapevine, March 21, 2010
"Volcanic eruption in Eyjafjallaglacier - flights to Iceland are on hold" — Icelandair, March 21, 2010
"Volcano erupts near Eyjafjallajokull in south Iceland" — BBC News Online, March 21, 2010
Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. "Eyjafjöll" — Global Volcanism Program, March 21, 2010
Flugstoðir. "A-NOTAM no. A0085/10 ERUPTION - EYJAFJOLL" — March 21, 2010
National Commissioner of the Icelandic Police, Civil Protection Department. "News in English: Eruption in Eyjafjallajökull glacier" — March 21, 2010

"Volcano erupts in Iceland, hundreds flee" — Alertnet, March 21, 2010

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No debt yet: Iceland's President vetoes repayment of Icesave losses

Wed, 06 Jan 2010 15:56:07 GMT

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Iceland

Other stories from Iceland

27 March 2013: Icelandic Hekla volcano shows signs of activity
17 December 2011: Iceland formally recognises Palestinian state with pre-1967 borders
15 May 2011: Azerbaijan win 2011 Eurovision Song Contest
11 April 2011: Iceland voters reject deal to repay billions to UK, Dutch
7 April 2011: ACLU, EFF challenging US 'secret' court orders seeking Twitter data

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Location of Iceland

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President Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson
Image: Ragimiri.

Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, President of Iceland, refused to sign a bill to pay US$5 billion (£3.1 billion) to Holland and the UK. Savers in those countries lost out when Icesave's parent bank Landsbanki collapsed and was nationalised alongside Glitnir and Kaupthing.

The governments of those nations paid out the money individuals had lost and the bill is designed to compensate them. However, the bill is unpopular with the public as 70% of them are said to oppose the measure, which critics have claimed will slow recovery for the Icelandic economy. A petition was given to the President demanding he refuse to sign the bill.

The constitution states that there must now be a public referendum on the issue. The UK has threatened the island nation's 320,000 inhabitants with economic isolation and has requested intervention from the European Union, which is currently considering an application from Iceland for membership. The national assembly has brought forward a planned meeting from the 26^th to Friday.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Össur Skarphéðinsson met with every foreign ambassador in Iceland yesterday to discuss the matter. He also met with Mark Flanagan of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which currently has a deal to loan funds to Iceland. Flanagan later said that so long as the IMF scheme was funded repayment of the Icesave money did not affect this.

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Sources [edit]

"Iceland Prepares for Icesave Referendum" — Iceland Review, January 6, 2010
"Iceland plans Icesave bill vote" — BBC News Online, January 6, 2010
"Iceland assembly to meet early after Icesave block" — Reuters, January 6, 2010

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Nearly 25% of Iceland's voters petition for veto of Icesave bill

Sun, 03 Jan 2010 16:19:42 GMT

Sunday, January 3, 2010

Iceland

Other stories from Iceland

27 March 2013: Icelandic Hekla volcano shows signs of activity
17 December 2011: Iceland formally recognises Palestinian state with pre-1967 borders
15 May 2011: Azerbaijan win 2011 Eurovision Song Contest
11 April 2011: Iceland voters reject deal to repay billions to UK, Dutch
7 April 2011: ACLU, EFF challenging US 'secret' court orders seeking Twitter data

...More articles here

Location of Iceland

To write, edit, start or view other articles on Iceland, see the Iceland Portal

Nearly a quarter of Iceland's voters have signed a petition calling for President Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson to veto the bill passed last week to pay €3.8 billion to the United Kingdom and The Netherlands to compensate depositors impacted when the Icesave online bank collapsed in 2008.

President Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson
Image: Ragimiri.

"I consider it to be a reasonable demand that the economic burden placed on the current and future generations of Icelanders, in the form of a state guarantee for Icesave payments to the UK and Dutch governments, be subject to a national referendum," says the petition.

The petition also demands a referendum be held; any bill not signed by the President must do so under the country's constitution. This constitutional clause has only once been invoked since the country's independence from Denmark in 1944. Ólafur challenged a media reform bill in 2004 which the parliament passed by a margin of only two votes. The bill which would have forced the breakup of Baugur Group due to a mix of media and business interests.

The group collecting signatures and who handed over the petition to the President, InDefence, called the bill a "huge risk" for Iceland's economic future. "All projections based on realistic assumptions […] showed without doubt that Iceland would be unable to meet the payments stipulated by the Icesave loan agreements as set out in the disputed legislation," it announced in a statement.

Organiser Magnus Arni Skulason made the comparison between repaying the debt and financing Iceland's health service. "We were able to represent our arguments to the president, and also on the occasion we handed over a petition to ask the president to reject the current Icesave bill," he said to the BBC. "The interest rate on the Icesave agreement for Iceland is like running the National Health Service of Iceland for six months."

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Magnus expressed preference for the previous legislation from the Icelandic government in August last year. That would have seen the interest paid limited and a time-limit on the period for payment where any outstanding amount would be written off after fifteen years.

Icelandic Prime Minister Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir and her coalition government threatened to resign if the bill was not passed by parliament. It did so by a slim three vote majority: 33 in favour, 30 against. One junior minister has already resigned over the matter.

Icesave was the online service offered by the Landsbanki bank and proposed high interest rates to investors. When it collapsed in October 2008 it had its accounts frozen and had to be rescued, losing 320,000 British and Dutch investors their savings. They were compensated in part by their own governments, which in turn looked to the Icelandic goverment to recompense them. In addition to the Landsbanki, the Glitnir and Kaupthing banks also had to be rescued by the Icelandic government.

Group of Icelanders at Bessastadir handing over the petition to the President

The €3.8 billion, to be repaid in installments starting in 2017 over eight years, represents 40% of Iceland's gross domestic product. Repayment of the debt is an important factor in the country's application to join the European Union.

Have an opinion on this story? Post it!

Sources [edit]

Reuters. "Huge petition for presidential veto against debt repayment bill" — France 24, January 3, 2010
"Iceland petition against pay-out over Icesave collapse" — BBC News Online, January 2, 2010
Agence France-Presse. "Parliament approves refund for British and Dutch savers" — France 24, August 28, 2009
"Iceland to pay back Icesave cash" — BBC News Online, August 28, 2009
"Icelandic parliament agrees to Icesave deal, with conditions" — NRC Handelsblad, August 28, 2009
Mark Milner. "Political row rages over Baugur law" — The Guardian, June 21, 2004

External links [edit]

Directive 94/19/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 May 1994 on deposit-guarantee schemes - May 31, 1994

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Icelandic government passes Icesave deal; €12,000 debt per citizen

Thu, 31 Dec 2009 04:48:41 GMT

Thursday, December 31, 2009

Iceland

Other stories from Iceland

27 March 2013: Icelandic Hekla volcano shows signs of activity
17 December 2011: Iceland formally recognises Palestinian state with pre-1967 borders
15 May 2011: Azerbaijan win 2011 Eurovision Song Contest
11 April 2011: Iceland voters reject deal to repay billions to UK, Dutch
7 April 2011: ACLU, EFF challenging US 'secret' court orders seeking Twitter data

...More articles here

Location of Iceland

To write, edit, start or view other articles on Iceland, see the Iceland Portal

Official portrait of Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir, Icelandic Prime Minister.
Image: Icelandic Ministry of Social Affairs and Social Security.

The Icelandic Prime Minister Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir and her coalition government narrowly escaped a commitment to resign as a €3.8 billion bill to repay British and Dutch savers following the collapse of Icesave online banking passed. The vote margin was only three votes.

Only a matter of hours before the anticipated final vote, Wikileaks announced the disclosure of one of 23 documents suppressed by the Icelandic Minister of Finance: an apparent legal summary of meetings between Icelandic and EU representatives held in Brussels in November 2008. The leaked document discusses the then-assessed liabilities of Iceland at 60% of GDP, considerably higher than the reported 40% which repaying Icesave deposit holders entails.

Amongst the other details in the report is emphasis of the deep-seated anger of the Icelandic people at the situation around the financial collapse, particularly the UK's use of anti-terrorism legislation in its approach to the country's banks. Iceland's interpretation of the situation, and its financial treaty obligations with the EU, considered foreign deposits lost through force majeure. All 27 EU members disagreed with Iceland's interpretation and Peter Mandelson, although he resigned from the Barroso Commission in October, presented the legal position that Iceland could not pass legislation that did not ensure treaty-mandated minimum balance returns from failed Icelandic banks.

Leaked private communication from Ingibjörg Sólrún Gísladóttir, Iceland's then-foreign minister, compared the potential liabilities the country faced with the reparations imposed on Germany by the Treaty of Versailles in the wake of World War I.

Three banks failed in the financial crisis: Kaupthing, Glitnir, and Landsbanki. As the list of creditors emerged it was found that, among others, UK councils had around £900 million with the banks. Landsbanki agreed to repay the majority of funds held, giving council depositors priority status. Approximately £200 million on deposit with Glitnir is at-risk; the bank has stated the councils will be treated equally with all other creditors seeing them likely to only recover 30% of the amount Glitnir held.

Kaupthing faces other difficulties. The UK's Serious Fraud Office began an investigation earlier this month into the bank's UK activities. At issue are allegations savers were misled into selecting one particular account type, plus suspicious financial activity suggesting substantial amounts were moved out of the bank in the days prior to its collapse.

At present, UK councils have received little more than ten percent of their over £900 million deposits. They are among over 8,500 creditors claiming a staggering total of £20 billion. The largest single claimant is the British Depositors' and Investors' Guarantee Fund seeking €5 billion, and, of some note, Formula One racing team Williams claiming around £10 million in unpaid sponsorship from Glitnir who took on the liability from the Icelandic buyers of Hamleys.

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Debt to 84% government-owned Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) by Glitnir stands at around £500 million; much of the actual debt written off in 2008 as RBS posted £24 billion losses. Further write-offs by the bank are expected to total less than £50 million.

Icelanders resented the discovery that fifteen senior ex-employees of Landsbanki claim €14 million between them, including a single claim of €2.7 million. Suspicion exists that the banks arranged substantial interest-free loans for various of their shareholders and executives.

Today's announcement of the Icelandic government's agreement to pay out €3.8 billion keeps their application for EU membership on-track, although each one of the country's 320,000 citizens effectively faces a €12,000 debt.

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Sources

This article features first-hand journalism by Wikinews members. See the collaboration page for more details.

"Iceland approves new Icesave deal" — BBC News Online, December 31, 2009
Reuters. "Iceland Deputies Brace For Icesave Vote" — New York Times, December 29, 2009
"Iceland begins last repayment debate" — Radio Netherlands Worldwide, December 28, 2009
Hamish Rutherford. "RBS 'owed £500m' by Glitnir" — The Scotsman, December 28, 2009
Emma Wall. "Iceland's Glitnir 'owes' £10m to F1 team Williams" — The Daily Telegraph, December 20, 2009
"Councils seek Iceland cash from Glitnir bank" — BBC News Online, December 17, 2009
"British Councils Threaten to Sue Iceland's Glitnir" — Iceland Review, December 16, 2009
"Highest Claim to Landsbanki ISK 925 Billion" — Iceland Review, November 18, 2009
Rowenta Mason. "UK freezing of Landsbanki assets 'as damaging to Iceland as Treaty of Versailles'" — The Telegraph, July 6, 2009

External links

Wikileaks: Icesave/EU7 - December 30, 2009

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German jet bound for US searched in Iceland after suitcase loaded without owner

Sun, 27 Dec 2009 19:10:15 GMT

Sunday, December 27, 2009

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Lufthansa jets in Frankfurt

A bomb squad searched a jetliner belonging to German flag carrier Lufthansa after it was found that the owner of a suitcase in the hold was not on the flight. The Airbus A330 diverted to Iceland but was later able to continue to the US.

The 160 people on board remained so while the luggage was inspected in Reykjavik. It was found that there were no security risks in the suitcase concerned. "It seems the passenger in question somehow missed the plane after having checked in," explained Fridthor Eydal of Keflavik International Airport, which serves Reykjavik.

The flight from Frankfurt then completed its trip to Detroit. It is unclear how the aircraft was able to leave with a bag that had no owner. Detroit was the location of an attack attempt on Friday in which a man attempted to light a bomb as the plane carrying him approached the airport. A Lufthansa spokesman described yesterday's incident as, "an unfortunate coincidence."

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Sources [edit]

"False alarm diverts Lufthansa flight to Iceland" — Press Trust of India, December 27, 2009
Omar Valdimarsson, Andrew Roche. "CORRECTED-Bomb squad searches Lufthansa jet in Iceland" — Reuters, December 26, 2009

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