New financial service through Telenor Pakistan
Telenor Pakistan and Tameer Microfinance Bank have announced the launch of easypaisa - which they say is a uniquely convenient and safe way for the people of Pakistan to carry out financial transactions Norway Post reported on 24 October . According to Telenor easypaisa users will have the freedom to...

McDonalds Iceland outlets to close
In a move some might say shows the economic distance between Iceland and the rest fo the world not to mention the geographic one Icelanders will in the future have to go abroad to buy a Big Mac since US fastfood giant McDonalds is to close its restaurants in the...

Syngenta sales 12% down in third quarter
Swiss Agrochemicals Company Syngenta AG reported third quarters sales down 12 % to $2 billion on early last week Deutsche Presse Agentur dpa reported. The company noted that in the first nine months of the year sales were unchanged at constant exchange rates and stood at $8.7 billion. Syngenta makes...

Lawyers to sue over governments Icesave
A group of Icelandic lawyers is preparing a case against the Icelandic state over the Icesave deal currently nearing completion. The group believes the executive power wielded in by the government has gone beyond its legal remit. The potential case rests on whether or not the government has the legal...

Syngenta sales 12% down in third quarter
Swiss Agrochemicals Company Syngenta AG reported third quarters sales down 12% to $2 billion on early last week Deutsche Presse Agentur dpa reported. The company noted that in the first nine months of the year sales were unchanged at constant exchange rates and stood at $8.7 billion. Syngenta makes seeds...

New subsea contracts to Aker Solutions
Aker Solutions has been awarded 2 contracts by StatoilHydro to deliver subsea equipment to its Visund and Troll fields in the North Sea including subsea tree number 100 for Troll. Combined contract value is approximately 300 million Norwegian crowns and it covers 6 subsea trees with control systems for the...

Cabinet reshuffle draws a new finance minister
Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg presented a reshuffled cabinet on October 20 that reflected his Labour Partys gains in last months elections Deutsche Presse Agentur dpa reported. The Labour Party added the finance ministry portfolio to its share. The ministry was to be headed by Sigbjorn Johnsen - a party...

Iceland adjusts plan to compensate foreign savers
Iceland has adjusted its plan to compensate people - primarily from Britain and the Netherlands - whose savings seemed endangered last year when a major Icelandic bank failed the government has announced Deutsche Presse Agentur dpa reported on 19 October. The government was to present the new plan to parliament...

Adecco in USD 1.3 bln US deal
The worlds largest recruitment firm Adecco has announced it is taking over United States competitor MPS Group in a deal worth $1.3 billion 1.31 billion Swiss Franks Swiss info reported on 20 October. The agreement by the Swiss and American companies is based on a purchase price of USD 13.8 per...

Hydro steps up aluminium recycling
Norwegian aluminum producer Hydro is currently stepping up its activities in aluminium recycling an area in which the company is announcing that it is evaluating further investments Norway Post reported on October 20. Hydro has also announced that Roland Scharf-Bergmann is now joining the company to lead and support these...

Swiss firm ABB says working in Russia getting more expensive
Swiss engineering firm ABB said on 19 October that it was reassessing its business model in Russia owing to the challenges of doing business in that country Deutsche Presse Agentur dpa reported. The cost of operating in Russia was said to be on the rise including the impact of changing...

Nemo acquires LMTS
Nemo Engineering of Norway has established an immediate presence in the growing subsea oil and gas market in Australia with its purchase of the local specialised service provider Land Marine Technology Systems LMTS based in Perth Western Australia Norway Post reported on 16 October. Nemo managing director Haakon Stroemberg said...

Real-estate company to invest 4 bln crowns in Copenhagen
Norwegian real-estate company KLP is to invest a minimum of four billion Danish crowns in both malls and hotels in Denmark Copenhagen Capacity reported on 16 October. KLP wants to invest in large hotels of a superior quality centrally located in Copenhagen. KLP has already bought SAS Royal Viking in...

Norways Telenor and Russias Altimo announce joint venture
TELECOMS groups Telenor of Norway and Russias Altimo on unveiled plans on 5 October to create a jointly owned mobile phone operator. The united company VimpelCom Ltd is to operate in Russia Ukraine and other countries in the Commonwealth of Independent States as well as Georgia Vietnam Cambodia and Laos....

Poland agrees to lend Iceland zl630 million
POLISH Finance Minister Jacek Rostowski and his Icelandic counterpart signed an agreement authorizing a 630 million zloty loan to Iceland on 4 October. The loan will be added to Icelands IMF grant of $2.1 billion zl.6.05 billion to help with the nations economic stabilization process. The loan will mature in 12...

Nestlé quits Mugabe farm amid boycott threat
GLOBAL food giant Nestlé has said that it will stop buying milk from a farm owned by the wife of Zimbabwes president Robert Mugabe. The Swiss-based company had faced worldwide boycott threats. Nestlé said in a statement on Thursday that it had been buying from Grace Mugabes farm because the cash-strapped national...

Aker Solutions awarded Gullfaks contract
STATOILHYDRO has awarded Aker Solutions a front-end engineering design FEED study for upgrading the Gullfaks A drilling facilities. Contract value is estimated to be around NOK 50 million. The drilling upgrade starts immediately and FEED will be completed in April 2010. It is expected to extend the productive lifetime of...

Privately financed Norwegian power plant in Africa
NORWEGIAN International Development Minister Erik Solheim will this week open the first Norwegian hydro-power plant in Africa financed by private industry. It is located in Kasese Western Uganda. The plant was built using modern Norwegian technology and expertice and is set to increase Ugandas total el-production by 7%. It is...

Kudelski makes second bid for US software group
SWISS digital television technology group Kudelski has made a second bid to take full ownership of interactive software maker OpenTV. Kudelski launched an all-cash tender offer to shareholders in the San Francisco-based company of $1.55 SFr1.60 per share for the 108 million shares it does not already own. The deal...

Acergy awarded Australian offshore contract
THE Norwegian engineering contractor Acergy with partners have been awarded a contract valued at approximately $170 million by Apache Energy for the Devil Creek Development Project offshore Australia. The project has been initiated to recover and process the gas reserves from the Reindeer Gas Field located 80 kilometres northwest of...

Norske Skog sells factory in China
NORWEGIAN newsprint producer Norske Skog has entered into an agreement with Chinese company Shandong Huatai Paper to sell Norske Skog Hebei in Zhaoxian China. The sale will reduce Norske Skogs net debt by around 800 million Norwegian crowns while freeing up resources to strengthen the effort to improve profitability at...

Whale-meat exporter expects strong sales
AN ICELANDIC whaler has announced plans to export more than 1 000 tonnes of fin whale meat now that the controversial whaling season has drawn to a close Deutsche Presse Agentur dpa reported on 27 September. Kristjan Loftsson whose firm Hvalur was at the forefront of the 2009 hunt told...

Credit Suisse may set up first branch in India
CREDIT Suisse a financial services company with its headquarters in Switzerland may soon set up its first branch in Mumbai it was reported on 28 September. The Reserve bank of India RBI has sought the opinion of Union Ministry of Finance in permitting Credit Suisse to set up its first...

Banks oppose plan for pay restrictions
SWITZERLANDS banks have said they believe that new restrictions on executive pay and risk-taking will leave them at a disadvantage compared with their international peers Swiss info reported on 25 September. Finma the countrys financial regulator proposed rules in June to force banks to link bonuses to long-term performance. Early...

Norwegian solar power in Italy
NORWEGIAN energy provider Statkraft is constructing its first solar park 60 kilometres to the south of Rome. Several other projects are also planned in the south of Italy Norway Post reported on 26 September. The solar power plant in the Latina region just outside of Rome will have an installed...

Icelandic Geothermal Company in Abu Dhabi
ENERGY company Reykjavík Geothermal RG is leading the search for geothermal energy for Masdar a planned city in the principality Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. The project is worth $1.6 million €1 million and will last for eight months Iceland Review reported on 25 September. Former CEO of...

Mitsubishi considers tidal power plant in Iceland
MANAGING director of the West Fjords Business Development Agency Thorgeir Palsson is in discussions with Japanese industrial giant Mitsubishi through the interposition of the Icelandic Embassy in Tokyo concerning a potential tidal power plant in the West Fjords Iceland Review reported on 25 September. The idea was presented at the...

Norway mulls climate deal
Norway is prepared to increase its emission cuts in order to secure an international climate change treaty this December Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg said on 22 September. I believe Norway should be prepared to cut more than the 30 per cent we have committed to before 2020 if it can...

Volcanic formations on beach
While three major glaciers cover 15 per cent of the country you can still get up close and personal with thermal vents as they roar their super-heated sulphurous steam through cracks in the ground. Its hot! exclaimed one visitor as he quickly pulled back the hand he had thrust toward...

Economic forecast bright
The Swiss government upgraded its economic forecast on 22 September but warned of weak growth in 2010 and higher unemployment adding that trade was likely to remain hard hit by the global economic crisis. A report from the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs SECO noted that the global economy was...

Oil exploration stalled requests withdrawn
Both successful applications for oil exploration licences in Icelands Dragon Area have been withdrawn according to the Directorate of Energy. Adalbjorn Bjornsson chairman of the Vopnafjordur district council expressed his disappointment that there will be no oil exploration initiatives operating out of his town. This does not however mean the...

Aker Solutions signs Saudi contract
Norwegian engineering company Aker Solutions and Dammam 7 Petrochemicals have signed a programme management agreement with Aker Solutions for the Dammam 7 acrylic acid and acrylates complex. The complex is to be realized in the Jubail 2 Industrial area in Saudi Arabia. Under the agreement Aker Solutions will provide pre-front-end...

Bankruptcy plague hits 5000 companies
The number of businesses to go bankrupt annually in Switzerland will likely exceed 5 000 for the first time the Swiss Association of Creditors Creditreform warned on 18 September. The global economic crisis claimed 393 companies in Switzerland in August alone a 44 per cent rise over the same period last...

Swatch subsidiary comes under anti-trust investigation
A subsidiary of the worlds largest watch maker Swa­tch ETA Manufacture Horlogere Suisse SA is being investigated by Switzerlands Competition Commission according to a statement released on September 15 Deut­sche Presse Agentur dpa reported. The commission said it was investigating if the unit abused a dominant market position in mechanical...

Swiss industry sees no signs of recovery
Production in Switzerlands manufacturing sector shrank in the second quarter this year the Federal Statistical Office said on September 15 Deutsche Presse Agentur dpa reported. Compared to the same period last year production decreased by 14.9 percent and sales fell 12.9 percent. Orders received and orders on hand dropped 17.5...

Salary caps may force Nestle out
Nestles chairman has said the group could pull out of Switzerland if a proposal to cap top salaries is approved Swiss info reported on September 13. It will be the beginning of the end Peter Brabeck-Letmathe said after being asked about the impact such a measure would have on the...

Swiss central bank keeps monetary policy revises GDP up
The Swiss National Bank announced on September 15 it would continue with an expansionary monetary policy aiming to keep interest rates low supply liquidity to markets and prevent an appreciation of the franc against the euro. The policy initiated last March was largely expected to be preserved. The bank said...

Icelandic Silicon Corporation granted license
The Environment Agency of Iceland has granted the Icelandic Silicon Corporation license to operate a factory at Helguvík Iceland Review reported on September 11. The license entails a production of up to 50 thousand tonnes per year of raw silicon and up to 20 thousand tonnes per year of silicon...

Icelandic waste management company goes greener
Waste management company Islenska gamafelagid has signed an agreement with Liforka an Icelandic producer of biodiesel to purchase all of the fuel which Liforka will produce in the next 12 months Iceland Review reported on September 11. The green sector is on the go and now we intend to increase...

Norways red-green coalition re-elected
Norwegian Prime Minster Jens Stoltenbergs red-green coalition has won 86 of the 169 seats in parliament one seat less than it did in four years ago according to results published on September 15 Deutsche Presse Agentur dpa reported. The centre-left coalition was re-elected early last week to another four- year...

TGS signs with Polarcus Ltd for 3D Vessel
Norwegian seismic surveyor TGS-NOPEC Geophysical Company ASA TGS announced on September 1 that it has signed a conditional Letter of Intent with Polarcus Limited to utilize their first released vessel the 12 streamer Polarcus Nadia. The charter will begin in December 2009 and last for approximately 3 months with options...

DnB now lsited on world index
DnB NOR Norways largest bank has qualified for inclusion in the prestigious Dow Jones Sustainability World Index DJSI World . This means that DnB NOR is regarded as being among the top 10 per cent within its industry worldwide in terms of sustainability. DnB NOR will be included in the...

New strategy presented for marine bioprospecting
Norwegian Minister of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs Helga Pedersen and State Secretary in the Ministry of Trade and Industry Rikke Lind on September 8 presented the governments national strategy for marine bioprospecting. Norway has a long tradition of harvesting the sea and has developed a high level of competence in...

OECD advises entry into euro area asap
If it were to become an EU member Iceland would be advised to seek entry into the euro area as soon as possible so as to reap the economic benefits. Past monetary policies based both on exchange rate and inflation targeting have produced unsatisfactory results. By joining the euro area...

EU questionnaire for Iceland made public
A questionnaire presented on September 8 by the European Commissioner for Enlargement Olli Rehn to the Icelandic Prime Minister Johanna Sigurdardottir has been made public. The questionnaire is to assess Icelands readiness to fulfill EU membership obligations. The responses provided by the Icelandic authorities will serve as a basis for...

Romande Energie posts mixed results for H1 2009
The Swiss electricity utility Romande Energie Group posted mixed results in the first half of 2009. While EBIT declined by 37 percent mainly because of the high cost of energy purchases on the wholesale markets net income was exceptionally strong following the transaction that preceded the creation of the Alpiq...

Swisscom to roll out HSPA+ in October
Swisscom Switzerlands leading telecom company on September 4 announced the rolling out HSPA+ the latest technology for mobile data traffic which allows far more people to surf the net simultaneously from the same radio cell without any loss in speed. Swisscom will commence its HSPA+ rollout at the Geneva exhibition...

ABB wins USD 41 million order for urban rail network
ABB the Zurich-based leading power and automation technology group has won an order worth USD 41 million for power systems to upgrade the urban rail network in São Paulo and help reduce the citys acute traffic congestion. ABBs solution will enable the network operator Companhia Paulista de Trens Metropolitanos CPTM...

Swiss UK revised double taxation agreement
Switzerland and the UK on September 7 signed the Protocol to amend the double taxation agreement DTA in the area of taxes on income in London. The Protocol of Amendment also contains a provision on the exchange of information in accordance with the OECD standard which was negotiated in line...

House-building activity declines 10% in Q2 2009
In the second quarter of 2009 9 520 new dwellings were built in Switzerland. This corresponds to a decline of nearly 10 percent compared with the same quarter a year earlier the Federal Statistical Office said on September 7. At the end of June 2009 63 020 dwellings were under...

Selling America for Designer Boots, Top Hats and Thimbles
Like a near-concluded game of Monopoly, America is selling off its last properties to maintain its lavish lifestyle.

Norway Is First in Europe to Lift Interest Rates
Norway raised its interest rates a quarter-point to 1.5 percent as the central bank cited signs of growth in the global economy and inflationary pressures.

Nordic Countries Top 'Gender Equality' List
Iceland rose from fourth place a year ago to top the list compiled by the World Economic Forum. It was followed by Finland, Norway and Sweden.

Norway Divided by Citizen Wealth Tables
In a move that would be unthinkable elsewhere, tax authorities in Norway issued a “tax list” showing the income and wealth of nearly every taxpayer in the country.

Petulance and the Prize
The wailing and gnashing of teeth that you hear among Republicans is 68 percent envy and 32 percent sour grapes.

Telenor Reaches New Deal With Russian Partner
The Norwegian telecommunications company settled years of wrangling with its partner. The two agreed to merge their assets in another venture.

Norway Keeps Leftists in Power
Norwegian voters have returned their Labor-dominated government to office, narrowly endorsing Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg’s pursuit of expanded public service.

Labor Headed for Victory in Norway Vote
Norwegian voters appear to have returned their Labor-dominated government to office, narrowly endorsing Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg’s pursuit of expanded public services.

Norway Votes as Coalition Finds Itself on Defensive
Norway’s left-leaning prime minister, Jens Stoltenberg, has asked voters to renew their commitment to one of the world’s most advanced social welfare models.

Chile’s Antibiotics Use on Salmon Farms Dwarfs That of a Top Rival’s
Chile used almost 350 times more antibiotics in its farmed salmon in 2008 than Norway, according to official data from both countries.

Seized Telenor Stake in a Russian Company Moves Toward Sale
A court seized the Norwegian telecommunications company’s stake in VimpelCom after it refused to pay a $1.7 billion fine in a legal dispute with a Russian cellphone company.

Despite Energy Reserves, Norway Slips Into Recession
The government still has a healthy budget surplus, but the gross domestic product for Norway contracted for its second consecutive quarter.

Norway Wins, While Russia Calls the Tune
A Belarussian-born, Russian-speaking singer representing Norway took first place in the annual Eurovision song competition held here over the weekend, against a backdrop of controversy after the police cracked down on a gay rights rally.

Norway Song a Winner
Celebratory crowds took to the streets of Oslo on Sunday to mark Norway’s victory at the Eurovision Song Contest.

Thriving Norway Provides an Economics Lesson
Instead of spending its oil riches, Norway saved, and it is now growing in the midst of the global recession.

Norwegian Stake in Russian Joint Venture Seized
A Siberian court’s seizure of Telenor’s shares in a Russian cellphone company rekindled investors’ fears.

Wave power plant planned for west coast
Plans to built the country's first wave power plant in the sea, northwest of Smögen on Sweden's west coast, have been proposed by Uppsala-based company Seabased Industry.

Politicians accused of jumping flu jab queue
Uppsala County Council has come under criticism after politicians and leading civil servants were offered the chance to have the swine flu vaccine, regardless of whether they belong to a high-risk group.

One in five priests refuse to wed same-sex couples
A week has passed since homosexual couples were given the right to tie the knot in church. Yet, 18 percent of priests in the Gothenburg region say they refuse to preside over gay weddings.

Norway court rejects calls to block Pirate Bay
Communications company Telenor will not be forced to block customers from accessing Swedish file sharing website The Pirate Bay, a court in Norway decided on Friday.

Green Party makes ground among voters
Green Party co-leader Maria Wetterstrand has surpassed Mona Sahlin as the main challenger to Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt for the affections of Swedish voters, according to a new poll

Malmö gets sucked in to world of comics
The Local's Charlotte Webb sits down with World of Comics festival co-ordinator, Caroline Lund, to talk masks and multiculturalism in Malmö.

Who should I call to learn more about the swine flu vaccine?
With the swine flu vaccine now available to the general public in Sweden, a growing number of questions have come up regarding who should receive the vaccine and where to get vaccinated.

Social Democrats slam Nord Stream approval
Sweden's decision to allow the Russian-led Nord Stream gas pipeline to pass through its territorial waters has prompted a scathing response from the political opposition.

Three arrested for Viking treasure theft
Three men, including the board member of an auction house, have been arrested on Gotland in connection with the plunder of hundreds of Viking-era silver artifacts from the Baltic Sea island.

One dose is enough: Swedish health officials
Swedish health authorities have determined that one dose of vaccine is sufficient to provide adequate protection against the swine flu for healthy people over 13-years-old, including pregnant women.

Reinfeldt reclaims top spot in Sweden power rankings
Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt can once again lay claim to the title of Sweden's most power person, having nudged his own finance minister Anders Borg from the top spot in a new ranking released on Thursday.

Fury over three-year-old's retouched school photo
The father of a three-year-old girl from northern Sweden is outraged that school photographers have retouched his daughter's school picture for the second year in a row.

Reinfeldt warns India of climate change dangers
Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt on Friday cautioned India about the impact of climate change if upcoming UN climate talks fail to produce a new agreement to reduce emissions.

Sweden to pay more asylum seekers to leave
Sweden has decided to expand a programme which gives unsuccessful asylum seekers money to voluntarily return to their homelands, at the same time as the number of refugee applications continues to drop.

Sweden breaks trend of rising bankruptcy figures
The number of Swedish companies filing for bankruptcy has dropped for the first time since June 2008, new figures show, although many companies continue to struggle.

Ransom Sought for Missing Ship
It was not immediately clear if the ransom demand was legitimate, and the whereabouts of the Arctic Sea, its 15 crew members and its cargo of timber remain a mystery.

In Finland, a Man of Politics, Without His Cloth
The Rev. Mitro Repo, an energetic Finnish Orthodox priest, won a seat in the European Parliament by bucking strict rules about mixing politics and piety.

In Finland, Nuclear Renaissance Runs Into Trouble
A Finnish project suggests a new generation of reactors will be no easier or less costly to build than in the past.

Porsche Finds Fortune From Unlikely Outsourcing
Instead of outsourcing to cheaper production markets, Porsche has been using Finnish factories, yet it remains profitable.

$2.5 Billion Is Added to Bailout for Iceland
Iceland finally received international backing for its bailout plan on Thursday, as Nordic countries followed up a $2.1 billion loan by the International Monetary Fund.

Finland Sees a Familiar Pattern in Photos From the Georgia Conflict
One of the stranger questions to emerge after the August conflict between Russia and Georgia: Did Russians go to war wearing a camouflage design filched from Finland?

Women Gain in Education but Not Power, Study Finds
A study found that women still lag far behind men in top political and decision-making roles, though their access to education and health care is nearly equal.

Former Finnish President Wins Nobel Peace Prize
Martti Ahtisaari has worked to end conflicts in troubled spots around the world for more than three decades.

N.H.L.’s Diplomats Will Be Carrying Sticks
This week four N.H.L. teams will play exhibition games in Europe, and Saturday’s regular-season openers in Prague and Stockholm are sold out.

Gunman Kills 10 in Attack at a School in Finland
The gunman, identified as Matti Juhani Saari, a 22-year-old student at a trade school in western Finland, killed 10 people before shooting himself.

Hot Lixx Rocks Finland
An American who goes by the stage name Hot Lixx Hulahan won the 2008 Air Guitar Championship in Oulu, Finland.

With India’s First Gold, Suddenly a Billion People Notice the Olympics
Abhinav Bindra became the first-ever Indian to take home an individual Olympic gold medal, beating top Chinese and Finnish competitors in the 10-meter air rifle shooting competition.

Iraqi Parties, After Meetings in Finland, Agree on Principles to Guide Further Talks
The document that Iraq’s fractious groups agreed upon was the first step in a process that experts in reconciliation say could take decades.

Identities on Display: Bonding at the Museum
The contemporary identity museum is the kind of institution that is as central for our time as the imperial art museum was for 19th-century Europe.

Cool, Hot and Finnish, With a Dose of Mythic Imagination
Urgent emotions and irrational fantasies run through “Arctic Hysteria: New Art From Finland” at P.S. 1 Contemporary Art Center.

Bridging the Generation Gap on Climate
The march of climate change up the global agenda has prompted an often poignant conversation between the generations.

As Time Runs Short for Global Climate Treaty, Nations May Settle for Interim Steps
At a meeting on climate change in Copenhagen in December, officials now expect only incremental progress.

Mexico and Italy Among Seven Teams That Claim 2010 Places
A tie against Ireland was enough to seal qualification for the Italians, who joined Germany, Denmark, Serbia and the Ivory Coast in the field.

The Four Candidates Make Their Final Olympic Push
After years of work and days of frantic, last-minute lobbying, the four cities hoping to host the 2016 Olympics are nearing the finish line.

Wonderful Copenhagen
President Obama's trip to Denmark to lobby for Chicago's Olympic bid for the 2016 Games will last only a few hours, yet the opposition wants to complain.

From Turbines and Straw, Danish Self-Sufficiency
A tiny island just completed a 10-year experiment to see whether it could become energy self-sufficient, and its residents say they have met the goal.

In Pitch for Games, a Gamble for Obama
The president will fly to Copenhagen to lobby the International Olympic Committee to choose Chicago as the site of the 2016 Summer Games, but doing so poses political hazards for him.

U.S. Reluctance on Climate Change Persists
As they prepare for a climate meeting, the last thing many stakeholders in the international community want to hear about is American reluctance.

Danish Conservative Prepares for Climate Debate
Denmark’s minister of climate and energy will host United Nations-sponsored global climate treaty negotiations in December.

No Climate Change Leader as Nations Meet
As nations gather for a major summit meeting on climate change, none want to take the lead in fighting for significant international targets.

The Ice Is Melting
The world needs a fair, effective and ambitious deal in Copenhagen.

Turning to Tie-Ins, Lego Thinks Beyond the Brick
Lego has rebuilt itself, but its new Hollywood-themed products are a far cry from the purely imagination-oriented play that drove the company for years.

Raid in Denmark to Dislodge Iraqi Refugees Leads to Protests and Hunger Strike
Refugees who were removed from a Copenhagen church on Thursday violated Danish law, according to the National Police.

Yale Press Bans Images of Muhammad in New Book
A publisher has decided not to print the 12 cartoons that upset Muslims worldwide in 2006 -- in a book about the controversy.

Getting Serious About Climate Change
To save the environment we will need unprecedented action - and a lot of luck.

Iceland to Repay Nations for Failed Banks’ Deposits
Iceland will repay Britain and the Netherlands the $5.7 billion it borrowed to compensate people who lost money in the collapse of an Icelandic Internet bank.

The Little Economy That Couldn’t
A new book about Iceland’s economic plunge may provide a cautionary tale for much larger countries.

European Union Puts Out the Welcome Mat for Once-Aloof Iceland
The blessing by European foreign ministers of Iceland’s application raised questions about whether the bloc was losing the will to incorporate nations in the Balkans.

A Debate Rages in Iceland: Independence vs. I.M.F. Cash
The island nation is locked in a fierce debate over how to pay off its creditors without ceding too much of its vaunted independence.

Iceland Puts $2 Billion Into Collapsed Banks
Iceland took an important step Monday toward rebuilding its tattered finances, announcing a deal to recapitalize three failed banks and give control of two of them to creditors.

Chastened by Crisis, Iceland Courts European Union
Iceland, among the hardest-hit nations in the financial mess, is seeking membership in the European Union.

Caution Kept Icelandic Bank Clear of the Worst
Margeir Petursson, the chairman and founder of MP Bank, saw the looming crisis long before others did.

Iceland's Program For a Fiscal Cure
No country lived more enthusiastically in the credit bubble, and none paid a higher price when it burst. Other countries would do well to pay attention.

Premier Wants Iceland to Join European Union
Prime Minister Johanna Sigurdardottir, buoyed by an election victory, said she would move to protect her country’s battered economy.

At the Polls, Icelanders Punish Conservatives
The country’s leftist caretaking government appeared to be formally voted into power.

Deserted
Iraqi Palestinians are double refugees. Their ancestors fled Palestine 60 years ago, and now they are trying to flee Iraq.

Vanity Fair Article Draws Outcries From Iceland
Michael Lewis’s depiction of Iceland in an article about the country’s economic collapse struck some as unfair.

Ireland? Iceland? Doubts on Doomsday Scenario in Eire
The stunning economic fall of Iceland late last year has ignited fears that Ireland may suffer a similar fate.

A Crisis Is Separating Eastern Europe’s Strong From Its Weak
Financial problems have reached the Danube, even in a relatively resilient economy like the Czech Republic’s.

Icelandic Firm Seeks Creditor Protection
Baugur, which became a symbol for the boom and rapid decline of Iceland’s economy, filed for creditor protection on Wednesday after talks with its biggest lender broke down.