Iceland’s Competition Authority has conducted four house searches since the banking collapse last autumn. One was connected with the abuse of market position and the other three were based on charges of unlawful consultation. Read the full story

Yesterday morning at 7am in Reykjavik, cyclists departing a small town in the capital region called Mosfellsbaer destined to Akureyri. This was the first cycling contest to take place this year between Rerykjavik and Akureyri. Cyclists arrived in Akureyri at the finish line a little before 7pm last night (Wednesday). Read the full story

All passengers departing Keflavik International Airport before the 18th September have the opportunity to enter a large competition where they can win a holiday to Iceland with accommodation and valuable gifts from airport shops. Read the full story

Gambling in Denmark is about to embark on a new path now that the government has decided to terminate the 60-year gaming monopoly run by Danske Spil, a state-owned entity. This deregulation will open the door for international companies to try their luck at coaxing money from Danish punters. Read the full story

The Insurance Company of the Faroe Islands (TF) aims to be operational in Iceland before the end of 2009. Edvard Heen, the company CEO, announced his intention at a press conference in Reykjavik on Tuesday. He went so far as to say that those in charge of the company had been investigating a move into the Icelandic market since 2007. Real movement came in August 2008 and a formal decision was made at the board meeting two weeks ago. Read the full story

A young IceNews reader in the United States has been participating in a competition to design a ‘City for the Future’ with her school. Amanda Miller and her friends at Kutztown Area Middle School in Kutztown, Pennsylvania have set their futuristic city, Vetnibörg, in southwest Iceland in the year 2203. Read the full story

A reduction in the restrictions on advertising pharmaceutical products in Iceland is recommended in order to increase competition in the marketplace. This recommendation was made in a report by the Competition Authority of Iceland. The report also says that the cost of licence applications and heavy government regulation of new pharmaceutical imports make it more difficult to find a niche in the market. Read the full story

The leading consumer advocate group in Norway has launched legal action against Apple Computers in a bid to force the company to allow digital music players other than its own iPod to utilise its popular iTunes download music store. At present, all songs purchased and downloaded on Apple’s iTunes website can only be played on an Apple iPod.

This exclusionary business model excludes the myriad other digital music players sold by competing companies. Read the full story

Almost half of Denmark’s 98 local councils have begun plans to establish free wireless Internet networks in their public areas. But this progressive program has been hindered by legislation claiming it’s illegal for city authorities to undercut private business.

Danish company Gratis Denmark is presently the only contractor in the project, having reportedly entered into negotiations with 40 of the 98 local councils to establish free wireless Internet access points, known as hotspots. Many privately-run cafés and coffee houses already offer free Read the full story

The Swedish government is considering opening its doors to foreign gaming companies, The Local reports. It will be a tricky proposition, however, as the government wants to maintain its current income from its own state-run gaming operations, so must somehow find a way to prevent foreign companies from running Internet gaming businesses from within the country.

Ideally, the foreign businesses would pay for a gaming licence to take bets on popular sports such as football, ice hockey and horse racing. Only people over the age of 18 can place bets, and businesses accepting bets from underage teens would be punished by law. The biggest issue facing the commission is how to deal with Internet sports betting and online poker.

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