The Bishop of Iceland has set a time scale for his departure this year and a female priest has already put herself forward as a candidate to replace him. Read the full story

A famous Icelandic author, television personality and lifestyle pin-up has been accused of rape and will likely now be charged. Read the full story

Following international controversy over the possible danger of breakage in PIP breast implants, the Icelandic government has decided to bear the cost of patient monitoring and implant removal, where necessary. Read the full story

Since Bishop of Iceland Karl Sigurbjörnsson announced at the last synod that he will step down in 2012, preparations have been under way for the election of a new Bishop. Many of the likely candidates are female. Read the full story

Marcel Lychau Hansen, the so-called ‘Amager Attacker’, has been found guilty on all-but-one of the counts against him, making him modern Denmark’s worst serial rapist and murderer. Read the full story

Swedish clothing retailer H&M has admitted tacking models’ heads onto computer-generated bodies in order to sell swimwear and lingerie. Read the full story

A third of the staff members working in the largest hospital accident and emergency department in Sweden believe women are to blame if they are physically abused by their partners.

The study, which questioned 217 medical personnel working at Stockholm South General Hospital (Södersjukhuset), also revealed that one-in-ten do not believe it is their responsibility to enquire about how a woman came by her injuries.

Between 15 and 20 Swedish women are killed by their partners every year, with around half of those having previously sought medical attention for injuries sustained through abuse. According to Sveriges Radio (SR), the country’s casualty departments are often the only point of contact between the women and the system.

“The study shows that we still have a lot of work to do in terms of people’s attitudes,” Maaret Castrén, a professor in emergency medicine working with clinical research and training at the hospital, told SR.

“I was somewhat surprised that it’s still considered not to be our job to investigate the cause of women’s injuries and that people still think that women’s behaviour in some way gives a man the right to hit them,” Castrén said, adding that she believes more emphasis should be placed on the issue during basic medical education and on-the-job training.

Head of the Centre for Knowledge on Men’s Violence Against Women (Nationellt centrum för kvinnofrid – NCK) at Uppsala University, Professor Gun Heimer, said the findings of the survey are in line with other international research. “What’s important with the study is that the results are highlighted and we can see that this is how things are and now we have to be better,” she told SR.

The three women awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo this weekend are “linked by their commitment to change”, democracy, justice and peace, according to one of the proud winners. Read the full story

A hotel in Denmark is refusing to remove its women-only floor despite being told by the country’s equality board that it is illegal. The Bella Sky Hotel in Copenhagen says its 17th Bella Donna floor will stay free of men despite pressure from the Equal Treatment Board to abandon the venture. Read the full story

Top Norwegian military officials have apologised after a female soldier from Oslo was forced to bathe naked in a freezing lake with 30 other male personnel. Read the full story