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News from Iceland

Iceland Review,  12 February 2020 9:24 PM
Rio Tinto to Review Future of ISAL Smelter
According to a press release published this morning, Rio Tinto – one of the world’s largest metals and mining corporations – will conduct a strategic review of its ISAL smelter (situated just outside Hafnafjörður) to determine the operation’s “ongoing viability and explore options to improve its competitive position.” 500 Employees Aluminium production at the ISAL […] more

Reykjavík Grapevine,  12 February 2020 3:40 PM
Proposed Permanent Python Perturbs Politician
The Environment Agency of Iceland has granted a permit to the Reykjavík Family Park & Zoo to fly in a... more

Icelandic National Broadcasting Service (RÚV),  12 February 2020 3:40 PM
Polish community worried about Bíó Paradís closure
Ever since Bíó Paradís started regular showings of new Polish films, it has become a de-facto social and cultural hub for the Polish community in the capital city, and further afield. more

Icelandic National Broadcasting Service (RÚV),  12 February 2020 2:57 PM
Aluminium smelter to close down?
Workers at the Rio Tinto Iceland aluminium smelter at Straumsvík, near Hafnarfjörður, are said to be shocked today at the possible closure of their factory. A general meeting of all staff was called this morning at which managers explained the... more

mbl.is,  12 February 2020 12:26 PM
Will ISAL Aluminum Smelter Close?
The ISAL aluminum smelter in Straumsvík. Rio Tinto is planning to conduct a strategic review of its aluminum smelter, ISAL, in Straumsvík, Southwest Iceland. more

Reykjavík Grapevine,  12 February 2020 12:22 PM
Cyclone Touches Down Tomorrow Evening
A clearer picture has emerged about the cyclone approaching Iceland, according to the latest from the Icelandic Met Office. As... more

Iceland Review,  12 February 2020 11:55 AM
Oscar Win Leads Thousands of Icelanders to Genealogical Site
Nearly 3,000 Icelanders have visited Íslendingabók.is – a database containing genealogical information about the inhabitants of Iceland – to examine their kinship with composer Hildur Guðnadóttir, Mbl reports. Hildur became the first Icelander* to win an Oscar on Sunday, February 9, for her original score for the film Joker. Heavy Traffic In response to an […] more

Reykjavík Grapevine,  12 February 2020 11:09 AM
Aluminium Smelter In Hafnarfjörður May Close
Rio Tinto, the parent company of the Alcan aluminium smelter in Hafnarfjörður, is currently reviewing its operations of the plant,... more

mbl.is,  12 February 2020 10:54 AM
Risk Assessed on Reynisfjara: Children Rescued Last Weekend
From Reynisfjara beach. A risk assessment for Reynisfjara beach, South Iceland – one of the country’s main tourist attractions, is expected to be ready in March. more

Iceland Review,  12 February 2020 10:38 AM
Continued Frost, Yellow Weather Alert for Friday
Temperatures in Iceland dipped well below zero last night, with the lowest temperatures being recorded by the Icelandic Met Office in Sandskeiði (-16.4°), Húsafell (-15.2°), Grímsstaðir á Fjöllum (-14.1°), and in Víðidalur (-13.7°), near the equestrian centre of the Fákur riding club. The Icelandic Met Office predicts continued cold weather in the country along with […] more

mbl.is,  12 February 2020 9:55 AM
Icelandair Prepares for ‘Dennis the Menace’
The wind speed forecast for 10 am on Friday. Due to the severe storm Dennis – nicknamed “Dennis the Menace” - expected in Iceland on Friday, Icelandair is getting ready, should international flights to and from Keflavík International Airport have to be canceled. more

Icelandic National Broadcasting Service (RÚV),  11 February 2020 2:23 PM
40% fewer Americans and 25% more Chinese in January
13 percent fewer non-Icelanders took flights departing Iceland in January compared to January 2019, according to Icelandic Tourist Board figures. It is the second year in a row that January tourist numbers at Keflavík International Airport have gone... more

Iceland Review,  11 February 2020 2:17 PM
Two-Day Workers’ Strike Has Begun
Around 1,850 Efling Union members employed by the City of Reykjavík went on strike at 12.30pm today, RÚV reports. It is their third strike action since last week, and the longest yet, set to stand until midnight on Thursday. A contract negotiation meeting between city and union representatives scheduled for yesterday was postponed and is […] more

Iceland Review,  11 February 2020 2:02 PM
Safety First
Hilmar Snorrason doesn’t care what you think. Last December, he attended a Christmas buffet with his family, and as the dinner was set relatively close to home, he suggested they walk. Adorning himself in his most elegant suit, thrusting his toes into his polished dress shoes, Hilmar stepped into the foyer, where, in the eyes of his family, he proceeded to ruin an otherwise fashionable ensemble – with the addition of a bright-yellow safety vest. “Fashion, to us Icelanders,” Hilmar muses, from inside his office on the ship Sæbjörg on the Reykjavík harbour, “is often synonymous with the colour black, but I’m not going to walk in the dark wearing dark clothes.” It’s not an unreasonable statement to make – in a country where December affords four hours of daylight – especially not if one is the headmaster of the Maritime Safety and Survival Training Centre. more

Icelandic National Broadcasting Service (RÚV),  11 February 2020 1:36 PM
University of Iceland rector keeps job
Jón Atli Benediktsson, has been appointed rector of the University of Iceland (equivalent to president or chancellor in some other countries) for the next five years. It will be his second consecutive five-year term in charge. more

Reykjavík Grapevine,  11 February 2020 12:05 PM
Culture Pick: My Voices Have Tourettes
My Voices Have Tourette’s, the wildly popular show conceptualised by comedians Dan Zerin, Elva Dögg Hafberg Gunnarsdóttir and Hannah Bryndís... more

Icelandic National Broadcasting Service (RÚV),  11 February 2020 12:04 PM
PM to recommend stricter land purchase conditions
The prime minister plans next week to bring a bill to Alþingi that, if passed, would allow the authorities to restrict land sales. Under the bill, very large land purchases would be subject to direct approval from government ministers. more

Reykjavík Grapevine,  11 February 2020 11:56 AM
BREAKING: Royal Brand Pudding Bringing New Flavour To Iceland
Royal pudding, long an Icelandic staple dessert, has introduced a new flavour for the first time since the 1960s—salted caramel—and... more

mbl.is,  11 February 2020 11:47 AM
Severe Weather Expected Friday
The Icelandic Met Office warns that major transportation disturbances are to be expected all over Iceland on Friday, and no travel is advised from 3 am till 9 pm that day, while a yellow alert is in effect. more

mbl.is,  11 February 2020 11:04 AM
Seven-Year Sentence for Smuggling Drugs
The men were arrested as they arrived in Seyðisfjörður, the East Fjords, last summer. Yesterday, the Reykjavík District Court sentenced two men to seven years in prison for smuggling 37.8 kg of amphetamine and almost 5 kg of cocaine to Iceland on board the ferry Norröna last summer. more

mbl.is,  11 February 2020 9:49 AM
Harpa Hails Hildur
Harpa Concert Hall, last night. Harpa Concert Hall, Reykjavík, congratulated composer Hildur Guðnadóttir, who Sunday night became the first Icelander to receive an Oscar, by projecting the words “Til hamingju Hildur!” (Congratulations, Hildur!) on its walls last night. more

mbl.is,  10 February 2020 12:01 PM
No Travel Advised in Northern Iceland Today
The Icelandic Met Office has issued a yellow weather alert for Breiðafjörður, the West Fjords, Northwest Iceland and Northeast Iceland. more

mbl.is,  10 February 2020 11:02 AM
Gear Collapses at Landing, Despite Being New
You can see how the aircraft rests on the right engine. The right main gear of an Icelandair Boeing 757 that collapsed shortly after the aircraft landed on Keflavík International Airport on Friday afternoon had just been replaced. more

mbl.is,  10 February 2020 9:34 AM
Hildur Guðnadóttir Wins Oscar for Score to Joker
Hildur Guðnadóttir, accepting the Academy Award. Last night, composer Hildur Guðnadóttir became the first Icelander to win an Oscar Academy Award. more

mbl.is,  09 February 2020 8:02 AM
Oldest Icelandic Male Neglected Knitting
Lárus Sigfússon and Kristín Gísladóttir, dressed up for his 105th birthday. “Too bad I never learned to knit, because that’s the only thing I would have been able to do with such poor eyesight.” more

mbl.is,  08 February 2020 8:06 AM
Watch Gannets on Eldey Island - Live
Being able to watch the birds live is quite a treat. Gannets arrived in Eldey, a sheer rock island about 16 km (10 miles) southwest of the Reykjanes peninsula, Tuesday night. more

The Icelandic Meteorological Office,  07 February 2020 3:04 PM
The Scientific Advisory Board meets to discuss the unrest at Mt. Thorbjörn in the Reykjanes peninsula
The data collected over the past week (including those measured by the recently installed stations) were reviewed. The new results suggest that the magma body is located at a depth of 3-5km, whereas it was previously estimated to be at 3-9km. There are indications of changing patterns in the crustal movements. The earthquake activity has decreased over the past two days, but there are still signs of a continuing inflation. Until now, the maximum deformation observed from the GPS stations is about 5 centimeters. Similar volcanic crises in the country suggest that this might be a long-term event, for which changes can occur week after week without the possibility to anticipate with certainty if the activity is resolved. During the meeting, possible scenarios that could be triggered in the event of an eruption have been also considered.more

mbl.is,  07 February 2020 12:51 PM
Buys New Ski Boots at Age 87
Jakobína Valdís Jakobsdóttir and Guðmundur Gunnlaugsson, salesman, holding the new boots. “Of course it’s crazy for an 87-year-old woman to be buying ski boots,” states former elite skier Jakobína Valdís Jakobsdóttir. more

IceNews,  03 February 2020 4:48 PM
Reykjavik named #2 as the 2020 European fishing destination
February is a long month across most of Europe. The holidays are long gone but the back-to-work blues are still going strong. People want to escape the long nights and commuter crowds. To imagine themselves on a sandy beach or a remote river. For anglers, this is the time to start planning the next angling […] more

IceNews,  31 January 2020 3:38 PM
Iceland Named Top Destination for Northern Lights in 2020
Popular travel magazine and website Travel + Leisure agrees that Iceland is among the best places in the world to see the Northern Lights and recently published a handy how-to guide to ensure a successful hunt for the aurora borealis during a holiday in the land of fire and ice in 2020. Front Row Seats […] more

The Icelandic Meteorological Office,  26 January 2020 6:02 PM
Possible magma accumulation beneath Mt. Thorbjorn on Reykjanes peninsula
An inflation has been detected since January 21st and is centred just west of Mt. Thorbjorn on Reykjanes peninsula. The inflation is unusually rapid, around 3-4 mm per day and has accumulated to 2 cm to date. It has been detected both on continuous GPS stations and in InSAR images. The inflation is most likely a sign of magma accumulation at a depth of just a few km. If magma accumulation is causing the inflation, the accumulation is very small, with the first volume estimate is around 1 million cubic meters (0,001 km3).   This is the conclusion of a meeting held with the Scientific council of the Civil Protection at the IMO this morning.more

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News in English are provided by Iceland Review, IceNews, Reykjavík Grapevine, mbl.is, Icelandic Meteorological Office and Icelandic National Broadcasting Service (RÚV).
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