The entrepreneur, Jón Ásgeir Jóhannesson, hopes for a return to the UK commerce sector as soon as the court cases which are currently being run against him are over.
Archive for the ‘Iceland’ Category
Jón Ásgeir Hopes for Return to UK Retail
Monday, March 12th, 2012“Norwegian Bakery” to be Converted into Guesthouse
Monday, March 12th, 2012
A wooden house from 1876 may be converted into a guesthouse.
Programmers of the Future
Monday, March 12th, 2012
Last Saturday, Reykjavík University held its annual programming competition.
Advania’s Thor Data Center adds Valitor to its client roster
Monday, March 12th, 2012
Advania, a leading Nordic Information Technology (IT) company, and the owner of Thor Data Center, recently gained the Iceland-based cross-border acquiring service, Valitor, a VISA International partner in Iceland, as a client.
Following the signing of the contract, Advania will now be providing hosting, networking, hardware, and security solutions for Valitor’s information system. In addition, the agreement also stipulates, amongst other things, the doubling of Valitor’s internal network capabilities, as well as hosting at Advania’s secure tier 3+ facility, Thor Data Center, through a high-speed connection.
Viðar Þorkelsson, CEO of Valitor, said, “Doubling Valitor’s network is one of the biggest investments that any Icelandic financial company has taken in long time when it comes to the security of information. With this in mind, it was important that we engaged in close co-operation with reliable partners and Advania is a clear leader in the Icelandic IT market. This will now enable us to concentrate on the core of Valitor – the development of payment solutions and related services.”
Gestur G. Gestsson, CEO of Advania, commented, “The agreement with Valitor is a great example of how our customers appreciate the developments we are making in the areas of hosting and networks. Valitor is a progressive company and a demanding customer, and has great ambition with this project. We offer a high level of safety and operational security all year around, and the recent purchase of the Thor Data Center is part of Advania’s vision for the future.”
Valitor’s information will be stored at Advania’s Thor Data Center, which operates just outside of Iceland’s capital, Reykjavík. The totally green data center offers customers unparalleled PUE of less than 1.16, as well as extremely competitive pricing for abundant and secured green power. Advania builds on its heritage to deliver the level of service that fits the customers need, ranging from the most basic to complete operations of its customers hosted systems.
Advania covers all aspects of information technology, offering its customers integrated services in software, consulting, hardware, IT operations and hosting. The company’s operations are certified according to international quality and security standards ISO 9001 and ISO 27001.
For further information about Advania’s IT services, visit www.advania.com.
Four Day Run through the Sahara
Monday, March 12th, 2012
Two men have become the first Icelanders to finish a 112 km run in the Sahara.
Bankers to Testify Before Court Today
Monday, March 12th, 2012
The former Minister for Foreign Affairs, along with several bankers, will take the stand on the sixth day of hearings before Landsdómur Court.
Reykjavík bus burns
Monday, March 12th, 2012
A city bus in the Icelandic capital this morning caught fire and is terminally damaged. None of the passengers were injured, however.
“There weren’t many on the bus and everybody managed to get off safely,” says Reynir Jónsson, the director of Reykjavík city bus company, Strætó.
The fire took hold of the engine at the back of the bus at the road junction between Bíldshöfði and Breiðhöfði earlier this morning.
The vehicle is owned by Hagvanur, which is a contractor working on behalf of Strætó. That company is responsible and liable for all damage caused to its own vehicle; not publicly-owned Strætó, Reynir explained to Vísir.is. “We are just following procedure in relation to bus evacuation and security.”
The cause of the fire is not yet known, but Reynir says that usually in such situations a broken hose/pipe is to blame; allowing oil to leak onto the hot engine. “That is only my guess,” He said. “But that is usually the explanation — some sort of oil leak.”
Reynir said that a second bus was immediately sent to the scene to take the evacuated passengers; although most of them had already made their own way from the scene. The fire brigade is investigating the cause of the fire.
Iceland’s One-Time Billionaire Plots Retail Comeback on U.K. High Street
Monday, March 12th, 2012Jon Asgeir Johannesson, the former Icelandic billionaire being sued by the bank that helped fund his expansion into the U.K., is planning to build a new retail "kingdom" there once he emerges from litigation.
Personnel shortage in Icelandic computer companies
Monday, March 12th, 2012
Icelandic software companies are struggling to find enough staff because there is a shortage of IT experts. Despite this, an industry insider claims there are still not enough people studying the subject.
The CEO of Meniga told Vísir.is that it is a struggle to find qualified people to work in the coupany’s software development department, because there is great competition for employees within the industry. A spokesman for the company Advania said that the company is in the same situation and would happily add another ten computer experts to its team, if they were available.
The CEO of Datamarket echoed the same sentiments; adding that there are no unemployed software programmers in Iceland.
“There is a sore need for people in this field,” says Datamarket CEO Hjálmar Gíslason, adding: “There is no increase in application rates for computer studies”. Meanwhile the demand for people in the software sector is only increasing.
Hjálmar fears that a lot of people think the profession is only for computer geeks; but says it is in fact a good career choice for anyone with a bright, scientific mind.
Increased competition for good people is also driving up wages in the industry, Hjálmar says.
Welcome to the land of Equality (JB)
Monday, March 12th, 2012
This month, feminists and feminazis are the hottest topic in Iceland, a topic that brings out the worst and the best in us all. School stress affected by gender
Monday, March 12th, 2012
Boys react differently to girls when it comes to dealing with stress at school, according to a study by the Academy of Finland.
The results reveal that although male students are often enthusiastic when they first begin secondary school, their interest wanes over time.
According to the leader of the study, Professor Katariina Salmela-Aro, boys run a greater risk of exclusion as they often become cynical and restless because their schools fail to provide enough stimuli for them. These feelings are apparently not experienced to such an extent with girls.
“The school doesn’t always offer appropriate challenges, so the boys suffer from a growing school workload and begin to direct their interest in other directions,” Salmela-Aro said in a YLE report.
Girls however, often become depressed due to feelings of inadequacy, according to Salmela-Aro.
“The school’s main task is to get the message across that it is fun to learn new things, and that effect can carry one far in life,” she told YLE.
Event of the Week: Bus Stops
Monday, March 12th, 2012
The exhibition “Bus Stops” sheds light on the subject itself; its architecture and form that we all know and have used but still hasn’t been analyzed in detail before. Iceland has been sold
Monday, March 12th, 2012
The resolution committee of Old Landsbanki in Iceland has sold the bank’s entire stake in UK retail chain Iceland Foods.
The buyer is Oswestry Acquico, and is a company owned by Iceland Foods’ current top management and other investors.
Among the owners is the company’s founder and chairman Malcolm Walker, who had the facility to buy the company if he could match the highest outside bid; which he managed to do.
The sales value of Iceland Foods based on overall assets value is said to be around GBP 1.5 billion, according to Old Landsbanki.
The bank owned 67 percent in Iceland Foods – currently among the better-performing names on the British high street. The price for 67 percent of the company is therefore around GBP one billion – or ISK 200 billion, RÚV reported.
The money will be used to help refund priority claimants in the bankruptcy estate of the bank – most notably the British and Dutch governments, after they refunded savers with Icesave accounts.
Reports of Gang Rapes on the Increase
Monday, March 12th, 2012
Stígamót, the Education and Counseling Center for Survivors of Sexual Abuse and Violence presented its annual report on the International Women’s Day. The report revealed a shocking rise in gang rapes in Iceland.
Another GISS miss: warming in the Arctic – the adjustments are key
Monday, March 12th, 2012The two graphs from GISS below, overlaid with a hue shift to delineate the "after adjustment" graph.
Quick trip filled with lots of adventure
Sunday, March 11th, 2012Recovering from the 2008 crash of the Icelandic financial system, today, Reykjavik, in a view from the tower of the Hallgrimskirkja church, is bustling with indie spirit.
Blue Lagoon a Celebrity Hotspot
Sunday, March 11th, 2012
Hollywood actress Teri Hatcher, one of the stars of the series Desperate Housewives, praised the Blue Lagoon in a recent interview after a visit to the lagoon in 2002.
Reykjavik Calls on Boston
Sunday, March 11th, 2012The ReykjavA k Calling music event, featuring music emerging from both cities, premiered on the East Coast with roughly 800 attendees attending the Paradise Rock Club in Boston.
RE: Iceland, a Soon-To-Be EU Member?
Monday, March 12th, 2012Posted in Iceland, Letters-Comments | No Comments »