A volcanic eruption began in the Grimsvotn underneath the Vatnajökull glacier in South-East Iceland on Saturday 21 May. Due to airborn ash concentration resulting from the eruption plume, aviation safety measures have been in effect and domestic and international air traffic was closed for Sunday 22 May.

Inspired by Iceland will be streaming the celebrated music festival Aldrei fór ég suður live April 22 & 23 from Ísafjörður on the West Fjords AND YOU’RE INVITED! The festival is unlike any other!

Reykjavík Arts Festival 2011 will be held from May 20 - June 5 and is a feast of all art forms: music, theatre, dance, literature and the visual arts.

Make sure not to miss the opportunity to participate in the unique atmosphere in Reykjavík during the Reykjavík Arts Festival, which brings joy and delight to Iceland's residents and guests in May each year.

Following the President's decision not to sign into law the so-called Icesave bill passed by parliament, a national referendum on its validity will be held on 9 April. The bill had been passed by the Icelandic parliament with an overwhelming majority; 44 votes out of 63 in favour.

The Iceland Design Center is proud to present the upcoming DesignMarch taking place 24–27 of March, bringing the awakening of spring and the growth in Icelandic design.

Make sure not to miss the opportunity to participate in the unique atmosphere in Reykjavík during the Reykjavík Arts Festival, which brings joy and delight to Iceland's residents and guests in May each year.

Explore the works of over 30 Icelandic designers at Stockholm Furniture Fair and Stockholm Design Week.

The study also shows that around 6% of the labour force is employed by the creative industries, which makes the creative class"one of the most populous in the country.

Nordic Club (Studio 4) – DR Koncerthuset kl. 21:30-22:15

Still in her twenties, Ragnheiður Gröndal, also known as Ragga, has already released six albums, all bravely exploring the varied influences with which she grew up.

WOMEX is the world’s biggest world music event, hosting a trade fair with over 3,000 delegates from the entire globe and a fantastic showcase programme in DR’s Koncerthus – over 300 musicians from over 40 countries on 5 stages under one roof.

The Icelandic Literature Fund and The Writers' Union of Iceland accept applications for grants for translators of Icelandic literature. Applicants selected will be granted a two to four weeks stay in Gunnarshus in 2011.

The Snorri Sturluson Icelandic Fellowships are granted to writers, translators and scholars (not students) in the field of humanities from outside Iceland, to enable them to stay in Iceland for a period of at least three months, in order to improve their knowledge of the Icelandic language, culture and society.

Iceland's Minister of Finance, Steingrimur J. Sigfusson, discusses the status and positive signs to be seen in Iceland's economy in a new article, Rising from the Ruins.

Johanna Sigurdardottir, Prime Minister of Iceland, is second on Time magazine's top ten list of female leaders in the world.

International conference on the effects of the volcanic eruption in Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland on aviation. The conference is organized by Keilir Aviation Academy in cooperation with the President of Iceland, the Icelandic Ministry of Transport, the Civil Aviation Administration, ISAVIA, the Icelandic Meteorological Office, Institute of Earth Sciences at University of Iceland, Icelandair, ICAO, IATA, ATA, AEA, the US Embassy in Iceland and the Russian Federations Embassy in Iceland.

A co-operation agreement on cross-border financial stability, crisis management and resolution between the finance ministries and other relevant ministries, central banks and financial supervisory authorities of the Nordic and Baltic countries has been signed. The agreement enhances preparedness to handle cross-border financial stability concerns in the financially integrated Nordic-Baltic region.

Further information

The Snorri Sturluson Icelandic Fellowships are granted to writers, translators and scholars (not students) in the field of humanities from outside Iceland, to enable them to stay in Iceland for a period of at least three months, in order to improve their knowledge of the Icelandic language, culture and society.

On 29 June 2010 Pétur J. Eiríksson, chairman of Portus announced that the official opening of Harpa concert hall and opening concert by the Iceland Symphony Orchestra would take place on 4 May 2011. The opening concert will be conducted by Vladimir Ashkenazy.

Taking place on July 1 at 8pm GMT in Iceland and lasting approximately three hours, and be a mix of live music with some broadcast on a big screen, Iceland Inspires will be a free concert to any lover of the eclectic line-up and will be streamed live around the world on www.inspiredbyiceland.com.