The Icelandic Ministry of Education, Science and Culture awards annually a number of scholarships to foreign students for study of the Icelandic language, literature and history at the University of Iceland, Reykjavík.

H.E. Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, President of Iceland, had a meeting with H.E. Wen Jiabao, Prime Minister of China, during the World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi Monday 16 January 2012.

A new Cabinet was unveiled in Iceland on 31 December. During the reshuffle former finance minister Mr Steingrímur J. Sigfússon was named Minister of Fisheries and Agriculture as well as Minister of Economic Affairs. Mrs Oddný G. Harðardóttur was promoted into Cabinet as Minister of Finance. Mr Jón Bjarnason, Minister of Fisheries and Agriculture, and Mr Árni Páll Árnason, Minister of Economic Affairs, stepped down from the Cabinet. Other ministers retained their posts.