Are you enjoying this? Are you not? Tell us what to do more of, and what you'd like to hear less of.

The Reykjavík Grapevine's Iceland Roundup brings you the top news with a healthy dash of local views. In this episode, Grapevine publisher Jón Trausti Sigurðarson is joined by Grapevine’s Editor-in-Chief Bart Cameron, and Grapevine friend and contributor Sindri Eldon to roundup the stories making headlines in recent weeks. On the docket this week are:

The Russian Spying Vessel Yuri Ivanov Within Iceland’s Exclusive Economic Zone
Since a Nato exercise in the North-Atlantic in May, the Russian spying vessel Yuri Ivanov has been sailing within Iceland’s 200 mile Oceanic Exlusive Economic Zone, and is now west of Iceland, which is highly unusual. The Icelandic coastguard has been watching the vessel and the Icelandic Foreign Ministry says it poses no threat.

Around 70-80% Of Iceland’s Farmsteads Do Not Engage In Traditional Farming
The Agriculture University of Iceland held a seminar to discuss a new report on who owns farmland in Iceland. Around 600 farms are owned by estates of deceased farmer, and 13% of farms in Iceland are not in any use, while between 70-80% of farmland is generally not used for traditional farming. The report also points out that around 40 farms are owned by two foreign billionaires, one of which Jim Ratcliffe, is also the fourth largest holder of farmland in Iceland, behind the Icelandic state, municipalities and the Icelandic church. The report creates questions about whether or not current laws in Iceland on farms need modifications to deal with a changed reality in the use or - as in this case - the non-use, of farmland, and does actually suggest that changes should be made to the law to deal with specific aspects, such as unclear ownership, unclear use, foreign ownership, and better data collection with regards to use and ownership, citing numerous cases where such changes have been made in recent years in neighboring countries.

Dettifoss Side Hiking Route Closed
New research has revealed numerous fissures under one of the popular hiking routes from the west towards Iceland’s (and the whole of Europe’s) most powerful waterfall Dettifoss. Dettifoss is located in North-East Iceland, and is a popular tourist destination, made famous by its prominence in the opening sequence of Ridley Scott’s 2012 film Prometheus. New research has revealed that the area is a fissure zone under a hiking route called Fosshvammur, and the route has been permanently closed. Other hiking routes on the west side of the river in which the waterfall is located are safe, and so is the viewing platform on that side of the river.

Two Tourists On Bikes Rescued By SARS Teams In The Highlands
Tow tourists who were attempting to bike a well known highland road in the southern highlands of Iceland had to be rescued by SARS teams, when snowmelts got the better of them.

The Federation of Icelandic Industries Warns Of Increased Indebtedness In The Construction Industry
Not only that, the chair of the Icelandic Housing and Construction Authority  says that apartments and neighborhoods have been planned for people that don’t exist. Housing prices have fallen in real terms, the number of apartments for sale has increased, and it is taking longer to sell properties, especially new apartments. The outlook is dire.

Bubbi Morthens 70th Birthday Concert Last Weekend
Bubbi played two shows for more than 10.000 people total in Laugardalshöll stadium this weekend. He dropped some comments between songs on inflation and said it was time to say either “yes” or “no”. While Bubbi didn’t explicitly mention the upcoming referendum on restarting negotiations with the EU on accession, the crowd non the less booed his statement. A few songs later he talked about his dismay about the importation of politics to Iceland that targeted minorities, before launching into his 1984 hit “Strákarnir á Borginni”, and important song for championing gay rights in Iceland in the 1980s. No booing was heard following the latter statement. 

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Donate to the Grapevine here:
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You can also support the Grapevine by shopping in our online store:
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This is a Reykjavík Grapevine podcast.
The Reykjavík Grapevine is a free alternative magazine in English published 18 times per year, biweekly during the spring and summer, and monthly during the autumn and winter. 

The magazine covers everything Iceland-related, with a special focus culture, music, food and travel. The Reykjavík Grapevine’s goal is to serve as a trustworthy and reliable source of information for those living in Iceland, visiting Iceland or interested in Iceland. Thanks to our dedicated readership and excellent distribution network, the Reykjavík Grapevine is Iceland’s most read English-language publication.

You may not agree with what we write or publish, but at least it’s not sponsored content.
www.grapevine.is

Are you enjoying this? Are you not? Tell us what to do more of, and what you'd like to hear less of.

The Reykjavík Grapevine's Iceland Roundup brings you the top news with a healthy dash of local views. In this episode, Grapevine publisher Jón Trausti Sigurðarson is joined by Grapevine’s Editor-in-Chief Bart Cameron, and Grapevine friend and contributor Sindri Eldon to roundup the stories making headlines in recent weeks. On the docket this week are: 

Should Iceland’s National Poet, Jónas Hallgrímsson, Be Dug Up

Jónas Hallgrímsson was a poet and writer who was born in 1807. In 1845 he died after falling down a flight of stairs in Copenhagen whilst drunk. For the past 30 years his birthday, 16 November, has been celebrated as The Day Of The Icelandic Language. In 1946 his remains were moved to Iceland and buried in a new Icelandic national burial ground in Þingvellir. Whether or not it were in fact his remains that were moved from Denmark and buried in Þingvellir remains shrouded in mystery. Not least because the main proponent for finding the remains and moving them was convinced he was in telepathic communication with Jónas, and that communication was the main source of figuring out where the remains were to be found. The ridicule surrounding that led to nobody else ever being buried on the location, and aside from the alleged remains of Jónas Hallgrímsson, another poet, Einar Benediktsson also rests in the sacral plot. Now, documentary makers want to dig up those remains and subject them to a DNA analysis to figure out whether it is in fact Jónas that was buried there, or — as was the popular joke in the 1940s — if it was in fact a Danish baker. 

A 4,5 Earthquake Just East Of Reykjavík

Monday 1 June saw a 4,5 earthquake with over 1100 subsequent smaller quakes happen in a place called Svínahraun, just east of Reykjavík, near the Hellisheiði geothermal power plant. The area is geologically active, so this is in a sense not an unusual development, although such a large earthquake is rare. In other geologically related news, vulcanologists, geologists and the people of Grindavík are still waiting for the next eruption to matieralise near that town and the Blue Lagoon. However, new research on that volcanic system has indicated that even though the magma chamber under the Blue Lagoon has by now built up more magma than before all of the previous eruptions, an eruption might not take place at all. 

In Iceland, Your Name Can Now Be Snow

Regularly, the Icelandic Naming Committee decides what names our children can and can not have. This week the committee decided that children can be named “Snjór” or snow, “Molly” and “Sifjar” to name a few. The names Mikhael and Danivaan were however rejected.

Rapyd Lays Off 40 People, Citing AI

One of Iceland’s few payment providers, Rapyd, announced recently that they have laid off 40 people, and replaced them with AI. In the past few years Rapyd has been experiencing some business problems, so the word on the street is that perhaps the whole AI framing is just a ploy to mask actual financial difficulties, or if not, perhaps these are the first AI related mass layoffs in Iceland

Support the show

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SHOW SUPPORT

Donate to the Grapevine here:
https://support.grapevine.is

You can also support the Grapevine by shopping in our online store:
https://shop.grapevine.is

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This is a Reykjavík Grapevine podcast.
The Reykjavík Grapevine is a free alternative magazine in English published 18 times per year, biweekly during the spring and summer, and monthly during the autumn and winter. 

The magazine covers everything Iceland-related, with a special focus culture, music, food and travel. The Reykjavík Grapevine’s goal is to serve as a trustworthy and reliable source of information for those living in Iceland, visiting Iceland or interested in Iceland. Thanks to our dedicated readership and excellent distribution network, the Reykjavík Grapevine is Iceland’s most read English-language publication.

You may not agree with what we write or publish, but at least it’s not sponsored content.
www.grapevine.is

Are you enjoying this? Are you not? Tell us what to do more of, and what you'd like to hear less of.

The Reykjavík Grapevine's Iceland Roundup brings you the top news with a healthy dash of local views. In this episode, Grapevine publisher Jón Trausti Sigurðarson is joined by Heimildin journalist Aðalsteinn Kjartansson, and Grapevine friend and contributor Sindri Eldon to roundup the stories making headlines in recent weeks. On the docket this week are: 

Ten Since Municipality Elections, But No Majority Coalition Yet Formed In Reykjavík

The big winner of the Reykjavík municipality elections was The Independence Party. The party’s slogan for the city elections was Strax-D or Immediately-D, yet 10 days after the election, with no new coalition in sight, voters may start to wonder what exactly “immediately” actually means.

Iceland N-Korean Friendship Association Formed During Psychosis

The founder of the Iceland - North Korean Friendship Association told visir.is she had been in a pshcosis when the association was formed. Mia Marcelina Alexa Guðmundsdóttir founded the association back in 2022 along with a Sunneva Náttsól. According to Mia, she at that point, she supported extreme interpretation of communism. She now says, in a op-ed she published on visir.is, that psychosis had caused her to support extreme, simplified ideology, which she does not support anymore.

Icelandair Flights Keep Getting Cancelled

Numerous Icelandair flights have been cancelled in the past days and weeks because of the airline being unable to get pilots to pilot their plains. While the pilots don’t explicitly say why this is, on the face of it it looks to be a part of a debate between the airline and the pilots that work for it, with regards to Icelandair possibly moving parts of their operations abroad, probably to get out of the baggage of paying Icelandic salaries to crews.

Do The Icelandic Fisheries Own Everything In Iceland?

A new parliamentary report addresses the ownership of Icelandic fisheries in other sectors of the economy. However, the report has been reported for being too limited in its definitions of what is and isn’t owned by the fisheries, and one parliamentarian said that the report only caught the “top of the Iceberg” that is that sectors ownership in Icelandic businesses.

Nobody Wants A Ferris Wheel In Reykjavík, Again

During the past few summers, a ferries wheel has been operated by Reykjavík’s harbor, to little enthusiasm by the locals, and what seems like little attendance. The mayor of Reykjavík has suggested that the ferries wheel should be put up yet again, but locals have started a petition to oppose the motion.

The Synthetic Windpipe Scandal, Paolo Machiarini and Iceland

A tort case filed by against the Icelandic state by the widow of Andemariams Teklesenbet Beyene, who had a synthetic trachea implant in Sweden in a procedure performed by Paolo Macchiarini in 2011, was concluded last week, with the widow winning the case

Support the show

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SHOW SUPPORT

Donate to the Grapevine here:
https://support.grapevine.is

You can also support the Grapevine by shopping in our online store:
https://shop.grapevine.is

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This is a Reykjavík Grapevine podcast.
The Reykjavík Grapevine is a free alternative magazine in English published 18 times per year, biweekly during the spring and summer, and monthly during the autumn and winter. 

The magazine covers everything Iceland-related, with a special focus culture, music, food and travel. The Reykjavík Grapevine’s goal is to serve as a trustworthy and reliable source of information for those living in Iceland, visiting Iceland or interested in Iceland. Thanks to our dedicated readership and excellent distribution network, the Reykjavík Grapevine is Iceland’s most read English-language publication.

You may not agree with what we write or publish, but at least it’s not sponsored content.
www.grapevine.is

Are you enjoying this? Are you not? Tell us what to do more of, and what you'd like to hear less of.

The Reykjavík Grapevine's Iceland Roundup brings you the top news with a healthy dash of local views. In this episode, Grapevine publisher Jón Trausti Sigurðarson is joined by Heimildin journalist Aðalsteinn Kjartansson, and Grapevine friend and contributor Sindri Eldon to roundup the stories making headlines in recent weeks. On the docket this week are: 

Iceland’s Municipality Elections

Elections were held in Iceland’s municipalities on Saturday. These elections take place every four years and unlike parliamentary elections have a wider voting base, since people who don’t have an Icelandic citizenship can vote in them. In Reykjavík, the ruling coalition in the city lost its majority. While no single party gained a pure majority, the Independence Party was the winner of the election landing 9 municipality seats, out of the 23 available with 32,9% of the vote. We discuss the election, and what it may mean for the current government and the upcoming referendum on continuing negotiations with the EU.

Summer Vibes

Today’s forecast expects up to 14 degrees celsius, meaning that today, Monday, may feel like summer in Iceland has begun, finally.

AMOC Doomsday Prophecies May Effect Government Policy

Halldór Þorgeirsson, the chairman of Loftslagsráð, or “The Climate Council” which is a council set up by Icelandic law to provide advice to Iceland’s government on the climate, has sent the government a memo, warning that the likelihood of the collapse of the so called AMOC in the North Atlantic, calls for immediate action by the Icelandic government. he AMOC is the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation — a system of ocean currents in the Atlantic that moves warm, salty water northward near the surface and cold, denser water southward at depth. The Gulf Stream is part of it. According to reporting on the AMOC the mean temperature in Iceland may drop by 9 degrees Celsius if the AMOC collapses, and that the odds of that happening by the end of this century are now so high, that something needs to be done — globally — if Iceland is not to become uninhabitable. The Council recommends that Iceland adopt the official position that the potential collapse of the AMOC is a national security issue, and start applying pressure internationally to reduce carbon emissions.

Support the show

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SHOW SUPPORT

Donate to the Grapevine here:
https://support.grapevine.is

You can also support the Grapevine by shopping in our online store:
https://shop.grapevine.is

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This is a Reykjavík Grapevine podcast.
The Reykjavík Grapevine is a free alternative magazine in English published 18 times per year, biweekly during the spring and summer, and monthly during the autumn and winter. 

The magazine covers everything Iceland-related, with a special focus culture, music, food and travel. The Reykjavík Grapevine’s goal is to serve as a trustworthy and reliable source of information for those living in Iceland, visiting Iceland or interested in Iceland. Thanks to our dedicated readership and excellent distribution network, the Reykjavík Grapevine is Iceland’s most read English-language publication.

You may not agree with what we write or publish, but at least it’s not sponsored content.
www.grapevine.is

Are you enjoying this? Are you not? Tell us what to do more of, and what you'd like to hear less of.

The Reykjavík Grapevine's Iceland Roundup brings you the top news with an (un?)healthy dash of local views. In this episode, Grapevine publisher Jón Trausti Sigurðarson is joined by Grapevine editor-in-chief Bart Cameron, and Grapevine friend and contributor Sindri Eldon to roundup the stories making headlines in the past week. On the docket this week are: 

Elderly Man In Húsavík Prosecuted For Killing Five Minks

According to a very brief report on visir.is. a man in his 70s has been charged for violating the laws against the protection of wildlife for trapping five minks and subsequently killing them. The Mink slaying happened near the town of Húsavík in North Iceland.

The Reykjavík Mayor’s Credit Card “Scandal” And Upcoming Municipality Elections

Outgoing Mayor Heiða Björg Hilmisdóttir paid the city of Reykjavík back 28.000 ISK because of unauthorised use of the mayor’s credit card. This she did after the Icelandic media requested information about her card usage. The mayor was featured in a cover story here.  Municipality elections will take place next weekend, learn about who’s running for office in Reykjavík here.

There Will Be Violence - Anti-EU Discussion Heats Up In The Reykjavík Grapevine

This publication interviewed meteorologist, university professor, and chairman of anti-EU group Heimssýn Haraldur Ólafsson for our latest cover feature. In the interview Haraldur suggests that the EU debate could become so heated that people might resort to violence. His comments went viral over the weekend after visir.is picked up on the comments.

Romanian Hacker Steals Millions From Icelandic Arion Bank

A Romanian man has been arrested in his home country for embezzling millions of krónur from the Icelandic bank, Arion. The man will be extradited to Iceland to face prosecution.

Support the show

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SHOW SUPPORT

Donate to the Grapevine here:
https://support.grapevine.is

You can also support the Grapevine by shopping in our online store:
https://shop.grapevine.is

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This is a Reykjavík Grapevine podcast.
The Reykjavík Grapevine is a free alternative magazine in English published 18 times per year, biweekly during the spring and summer, and monthly during the autumn and winter. 

The magazine covers everything Iceland-related, with a special focus culture, music, food and travel. The Reykjavík Grapevine’s goal is to serve as a trustworthy and reliable source of information for those living in Iceland, visiting Iceland or interested in Iceland. Thanks to our dedicated readership and excellent distribution network, the Reykjavík Grapevine is Iceland’s most read English-language publication.

You may not agree with what we write or publish, but at least it’s not sponsored content.
www.grapevine.is

Are you enjoying this? Are you not? Tell us what to do more of, and what you'd like to hear less of.

Denmark’s Oldest Newspaper Refers To Icelandic Fishing Interests As An “Oligarchy”

This past weekend Berlingske Tidende, Denmark’s oldest newspaper, ran a story it had been working on for months. The topic: the Icelandic fisheries industry. The conclusion: Iceland is an oligarchy. 

Man Fined For Hate Speech in Reykjanesbær

A man in Reykjanesbær was ruled to pay a 100.000 ISK fine after expressing hate speech online. The hate speech in question was a comment the man made to a Vísir news story, the offender said that the “German showers” needed to be revived because of asylum seekers, and that the Greeks knew how to beat them into submission.

Airplane Fuel Reserves in Iceland Good, Says Oil Executive

According to Skeljungur’s CEO Þórður Guðjónsson, fuel reserves in Iceland are in good shape, though the closure of the strait of Hormuz is likely to affect that at some point this spring.

Person Busted For Trying To Pay With An 11.000ISK Bill

An undisclosed person tried to pay for products with an 11.000ISK bill. As no such nomination of the ISK exist, they bill was a forgery. Details on what person was to be found on the bill are yet not in the public. 

Former Foreign Minister To Become Ambassador To The UK

Former minister of foreign affairs, Þórdís Kolbrún Gylfadóttir Reykfjörð, was appointed Iceland’s ambassador to the UK on April 20th. Þórdís has been a MP for the Independence Party since 2016, but her views of foreign policy have as of lately been more in line with the current coalition government, rather than her own political party.

Windmills Show Up In Þorlákshöfn

The first shipment of windmills for electricity production for Iceland’s state owned energy company Landsvirkjun has arrived by ship in the town of Þorlákshöfn. Recently, roads from Þorlákshöfn to the part of the highlands the windmills are destined to, have been strengthened for the move.

Support the show

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SHOW SUPPORT

Donate to the Grapevine here:
https://support.grapevine.is

You can also support the Grapevine by shopping in our online store:
https://shop.grapevine.is

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This is a Reykjavík Grapevine podcast.
The Reykjavík Grapevine is a free alternative magazine in English published 18 times per year, biweekly during the spring and summer, and monthly during the autumn and winter. 

The magazine covers everything Iceland-related, with a special focus culture, music, food and travel. The Reykjavík Grapevine’s goal is to serve as a trustworthy and reliable source of information for those living in Iceland, visiting Iceland or interested in Iceland. Thanks to our dedicated readership and excellent distribution network, the Reykjavík Grapevine is Iceland’s most read English-language publication.

You may not agree with what we write or publish, but at least it’s not sponsored content.
www.grapevine.is

Are you enjoying this? Are you not? Tell us what to do more of, and what you'd like to hear less of.

The Reykjavík Grapevine's Iceland Roundup brings you the top news with a dash of local views. In this episode, Grapevine publisher Jón Trausti Sigurðarson is joined by Grapevine editor-in-chief Bart Cameron, and Grapevine friend and contributor Sindri Eldon to roundup the stories making headlines in the past week. On the docket this week are: 

Pop Legend Björgvin Halldórsson Passes

Björgvin Halldórsson passed on April 9th last week, a week short of his 75th birthday. Björgvin, or “Bo” may be a bit hard to explain to non-Icelandic audiences, but he started out as Iceland’s first teen pop-star in the late 60s, and went on to have a prolific music career and series of hits, along with becoming a larger-than-life character in Icelandic life.

Eleven “parties” in the running in Reykjavík’s upcoming municipality elections. One “party” in the town of Vopnafjörður

The municipality elections will take place for all municipalities in Iceland, on 16 May. Excitement seems to vary between places, as eleven entities turned in a candidate list for the elections in Reykjavík, while one such list of candidates was sent in for the elections in Vopnafjörður, east Iceland.

Icelandair Pilot On Last Flight, “Hedgehops” Over Hometown

Last Friday, an Icelandair passenger jet flying to Keflavík from Frankfurt, made a very low and unauthorized flyover over the Westman Islands. The pilot was celebrating his last flight, by flying low over his home town, and as is reported, much to the satisfaction of the passengers onboard, but to the chagrin of the residents of the Westman Islands.

 Man Wakes Up, Sees Notice Of Own Demise In Newspaper

Sölvi Guðmundarson woke up last Friday to the unpleasant experience of reading about his own death in Iceland’s last remaining daily paper, Morgunblaðið.

Government Announces Three Pronged Plan To Battle Inflation

In short, the government announced that they’d be 1) lowering VAT on fuel from 25% to 11%, 2) more diligently watching changes in prices, 3) Spending 500 million ISK to increase access to EV charging stations. Opposition members were unsurprisingly unimpressed, but so were union leaders.

New Report On The Town Of Grindavík, Advices Against Families With Children Moving To The Town. 

The report was met with little enthusiasm by some of the former residents of Grindavík.

Support the show

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SHOW SUPPORT

Donate to the Grapevine here:
https://support.grapevine.is

You can also support the Grapevine by shopping in our online store:
https://shop.grapevine.is

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This is a Reykjavík Grapevine podcast.
The Reykjavík Grapevine is a free alternative magazine in English published 18 times per year, biweekly during the spring and summer, and monthly during the autumn and winter. 

The magazine covers everything Iceland-related, with a special focus culture, music, food and travel. The Reykjavík Grapevine’s goal is to serve as a trustworthy and reliable source of information for those living in Iceland, visiting Iceland or interested in Iceland. Thanks to our dedicated readership and excellent distribution network, the Reykjavík Grapevine is Iceland’s most read English-language publication.

You may not agree with what we write or publish, but at least it’s not sponsored content.
www.grapevine.is

Are you enjoying this? Are you not? Tell us what to do more of, and what you'd like to hear less of.

The Reykjavík Grapevine's Iceland Roundup brings you the top news with a healthy dash of local views. In this episode, Grapevine publisher Jón Trausti Sigurðarson is joined by Heimildin journalist Aðalsteinn Kjartansson, and Grapevine friend and contributor Sindri Eldon to roundup the stories making headlines in recent weeks. On the docket this week are: 

Winter Still Rages - Flights Cancelled - Avalanches - Blizzards

We’re having a bad case of the winters these days, making the past week seem like the week before. Most, if not all international flights to and from Iceland were cancelled on Friday, bunch of road closures due to blizzards and in some cases avalanches, such as in on the main road near the town of Sigufjörður in North Iceland. Power also went down in the Westfjords.

Reynisfjara Black Beach Back In The News

Westerly winds, that had already swept the sands of Reynisfjara beach westwards, leading to stories about the beach having disappeared or having closed, kicked in again last week, hitting the parking lot by the beach hard. Landowners are still betting on the usually prevailing easterly winds to return, with high hopes that this will mean the return to sand around the famous cave and basalt columns, so loved by tourists. 

Russian Oligarch In Super Yacht Barred From Docking In Iceland

The yacht, named La Datcha is owned by Russian oligarch Oleg Tinkov. Tinkov is the founder of Russian internet bank Tinkoff, which is one of the biggest bank in Russia.

Iceland The Second Happiest Nation On Earth, After Finland

Yet again, Iceland scores high, but falls short of coming in number one, which falls, yet again, to the Finns. 

Big Explosion In Reykjavík

A “Dust Explosion” blew a hole in a big industrial building in Reykjavík, killing one worker and injuring others. The workers had been wielding in a silo of a factory that manufactures animal fodder. The sparks from the wielding set fire to the dust in the silo, leading to an explosion.

Interests Rates Go Up

Interest rates were raised by the Icelandic Central Bank last Thursday from 7,25% to 7,5%. The Chairman  of the Central Bank, cited inflation and the war in Iran in his reasoning for the raise.

Support the show

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SHOW SUPPORT

Donate to the Grapevine here:
https://support.grapevine.is

You can also support the Grapevine by shopping in our online store:
https://shop.grapevine.is

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This is a Reykjavík Grapevine podcast.
The Reykjavík Grapevine is a free alternative magazine in English published 18 times per year, biweekly during the spring and summer, and monthly during the autumn and winter. 

The magazine covers everything Iceland-related, with a special focus culture, music, food and travel. The Reykjavík Grapevine’s goal is to serve as a trustworthy and reliable source of information for those living in Iceland, visiting Iceland or interested in Iceland. Thanks to our dedicated readership and excellent distribution network, the Reykjavík Grapevine is Iceland’s most read English-language publication.

You may not agree with what we write or publish, but at least it’s not sponsored content.
www.grapevine.is

Are you enjoying this? Are you not? Tell us what to do more of, and what you'd like to hear less of.

The Reykjavík Grapevine's Iceland Roundup brings you the top news with a healthy dash of local views. In this episode, Grapevine publisher Jón Trausti Sigurðarson is joined by Heimildin journalist Aðalsteinn Kjartansson, and Grapevine friend and contributor Sindri Eldon to roundup the stories making headlines in recent weeks. On the docket this week are: 

500 Travelers Stuck In North Iceland Because Of A Blizzard  

While weather conditions remained fairly uninteresting in Reykjavík a blizzard closed the road between Reykjavík and Akureyri this Sunday, which meant that up to 500 people had to unexpectedly had to spend the night in various hotels and guesthouses, and for dozens, the local schools were opened up to shelter people. 

Nordic PMs Meet To Hang Out With Canadian PM Mark Carney

The Nordic PMs met in Oslo on Saturday, along with Mark Carney, who’s stature in the international political landscape risen significantly over the past months, and dramatically after a speech he gave in Davos earlier this year. The speech in question was also probably on Iceland’s MP Kristrún Frostadóttir mind when she commented after the meeting, that “We have had concerns about Greenland, we have concerns about the situation in Europe regarding Ukraine, but we are not afraid. We also see this as a way to reshape alliances. Although we are not excluding anyone, we are also just broadening our horizons, and I think this group, together with Canada, shows that there are great opportunities out there."

EU Debate Takes Over Icelandic Discourse

The upcoming EU referendum has been heavily debated over the past week, and we’ve already had enough.

Laufey Lín Performed For 36.000 Icelanders This Weekend

With two concerts in a hall that takes 18.000 guests, Musical Superstar Laufey Lín, may have shattered a national record.

Tourists Cause More Serious Road Accidents Than Drunk Or Young Drivers

According to Reynir Bjarni Egilsson, of the insurance company VÍS, who said, last week that "There is often talk of perhaps dangerous groups such as young drivers and drunk drivers, but foreign tourists are causing more serious and fatal accidents per year than these groups that are most often discussed. We think it is well worth drawing attention to them in order to generate debate about whether it is possible to improve the framework around."

Support the show

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SHOW SUPPORT

Donate to the Grapevine here:
https://support.grapevine.is

You can also support the Grapevine by shopping in our online store:
https://shop.grapevine.is

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This is a Reykjavík Grapevine podcast.
The Reykjavík Grapevine is a free alternative magazine in English published 18 times per year, biweekly during the spring and summer, and monthly during the autumn and winter. 

The magazine covers everything Iceland-related, with a special focus culture, music, food and travel. The Reykjavík Grapevine’s goal is to serve as a trustworthy and reliable source of information for those living in Iceland, visiting Iceland or interested in Iceland. Thanks to our dedicated readership and excellent distribution network, the Reykjavík Grapevine is Iceland’s most read English-language publication.

You may not agree with what we write or publish, but at least it’s not sponsored content.
www.grapevine.is

Are you enjoying this? Are you not? Tell us what to do more of, and what you'd like to hear less of.

Iceland Roundup

The Reykjavík Grapevine's Iceland Roundup brings you the top news with a healthy dash of local views. In this episode, Grapevine publisher Jón Trausti Sigurðarson is joined by Heimildin journalist Aðalsteinn Kjartansson, and Grapevine friend and contributor Sindri Eldon to roundup the stories making headlines in recent weeks. On the docket this week are: 

Icelanders To Vote On EU

The government announced last week that a referendum asking whether or not Iceland should  continue negotiations with the EU about what terms Iceland could join the union on. The referendum will take place on August 29th.

Fish Washes Ashore In South Iceland, Locals Eat It

The strange occurrence of perfectly edible fish washing ashore in the small fishing village of Stokkseyri made the news this weekend. Reasons are unclear, but getting fish into the pots of the locals, usually requires more work.

Standardized School Tests Back After A 5 Year Absence 

Elementary schools in Iceland held the first standardized tests since 2021, last week.

The Chancellor Of the Catholic Church In Iceland’s Great PR

 RÚV reported that the Catholic Church in Iceland was providing suppression therapy, which is illegal in Iceland. The Chancellor of the Icelandic congregation said, when queried on the subject that: “We must preach what the church preaches. It is that simple. [..]Whether it is legal or illegal, I know about these laws [..] Parliament does not  dictates to me what I should say. I should say what the church tells me and what Jesus Christ proclaims." So much for secularism.

Price Of Food Has Risen Faster Than Salaries

The price of food in Iceland has risen by 7,8% since the last collective bargaining agreement was signed in March 2024 according to The Icelandic Confederation of Labour (ASÍ), and by 10% according to Statistics Iceland. ASÍ’s main economist, Ágúst Arnórsson, told visir.is that the price hikes could void the 2024 collective bargaining agreement.

Middle East War — Oil Prices To Go Up In Iceland

And adding fuel to the fire that is currently the high inflation in Iceland are expected price raises on gasoline.

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This is a Reykjavík Grapevine podcast.
The Reykjavík Grapevine is a free alternative magazine in English published 18 times per year, biweekly during the spring and summer, and monthly during the autumn and winter. 

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