Iceland

Jón Gnarr has resigned from the Liberal Reform parliamentary group, citing internal friction that the party leadership apparently preferred to ignore. Party chair Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir suggested the departure would not change the party’s direction; for a group facing allegations that it does not listen to its own MPs, that may be the problem.

Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir confirmed the government has no plans to ban oil exploration in territorial waters, even though the national energy agency considers the chance of finding a commercially viable field to be negligible. The state is keeping the door open for an industry that its own experts say is likely not there.

The men’s national football team coach, Arnar Gunnlaugsson, admitted that players drank during a recent training project, a lapse he says ruined their preparation. It was a bad day for professional sobriety across the board: a former pilot lost his multi-million krónur lawsuit for wrongful dismissal after a court ruled his drinking and behavioral issues were grounds for firing.