News in Brief
A roundup of the main news stories from the past weeks
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What Are Icelanders Talking About? : Sparks A-Flyin’ In Your Newsfeed
Possibly the hottest topic in Iceland right now is the controversy within the ranks of the police. It turns out that National Police Commissioner Haraldur Johannessen is not a popular guy within his own ranks. Eight out of Iceland’s nine police chiefs…
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Nazis, Mike Pence And The Third Energy Package: What Are Icelanders Talking About?
Iceland is not a Nazi-friendly country. This became very apparent when a dozen members of the Nordic Resistance Movement gathered in downtown Reykjavík earlier this month to hand out flyers about “cultural Marxism” (a made-up concept popularised by Norwegian far-right terrorist Anders…
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What Are Icelanders Talking About? Veganism, Sharks And Police Brutality
Apart from Israel/Palestine and penile circumcision, few topics are as contentious as veganism, as a recent discussion in Reykjavík City Council attests. Recently, the Icelandic Vegan Society issued a statement that pointed out what climate scientists have long been saying: the meat…
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What Are Icelanders Talking About: WAB is here. Pride is here. Jim Ratcliffe, too.
When it comes to land ownership, one would expect, at the very least, there would be some provision requiring the purchaser to reside in the country in which the land is purchased. This has proven not to be the case in Iceland,…
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What Are Icelanders Talking About?: Whales, Sugar And A Naval Base
Oh whale The lack of any real market for whale meat has prompted Iceland’s whalers to forego the hunt this season, for the first time since 2003. The Icelandic National Broadcast station, RÚV, reports that this applies not only to endangered fin…
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What Are Icelanders Talking About?
As you might have guessed, of greatest prevalence on social media over the past two weeks has been Hatari at Eurovision. For those of you following along at home, if you think the international response has been contentious, boy do we have…
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What Are Icelanders Talking About?: Hatari, Pregnancy, And Spy Beluga Whales
One of the hottest topics on Icelandic social media right now is Hatari’s arrival in Tel Aviv to compete in the Eurovision Song Contest. There has been strong, sharply-divided opinion about their participation, at home and abroad, and that continues now as…
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What Are Icelanders Talking About?
Arguably the most talked-about topic in Icelandic social media these days is the so-called third energy package. In the simplest possible terms, it’s a European Union energy policy devised in 2009 that is also supposed to include EEA countries, amongst them Iceland.…
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What Are Icelanders Talking About?
It’s been a wild time for hateful vitriol on social media these days. With news coming in of a deadly shooting in a mosque in New Zealand that left 50 people dead, Icelanders were active in the comments sections of online articles…
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What Are Icelanders Talking About?
In a story that has made international headlines, three died in a fatal accident in South Iceland in the last week of December. Seven passengers were in a Toyota Land Cruiser which fell from the bridge over the Núpsá river, the cause…
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What Are Icelanders Talking About?
Probably the weather, but what else? Way up in the Westfjörds, someone stole a yacht and attempted to sail it out of national waters. The yacht was reported missing to the police, who in turn contacted the Icelandic Coast Guard. A deployed…
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What Are Icelanders Talking About?
The latest flare-ups from social media History was made last week when all five suspects in the notorious Guðmundur and Geirfinnur case had all charges against them dropped. This case, arguably the most famous criminal case in Icelandic history, saw the five…
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What Are Icelanders Talking About?: The Latest Flare-Ups From Social Media
As we teeter on the crest of the tourism wave, all eyes are on Iceland’s two major airlines, WOW Air and Icelandair. Fuel prices, overestimating the number of tourists coming to Iceland, and a lack of initiative from management have been troubling…
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What Are Icelanders Talking About?: Tongue-Gate, Mountain Dew Attack & Political Turmoil
Icelanders may be a bit sheltered on this isolated rock, but that does not mean that terror does not strike here. The nation was shocked when the country’s most popular rap band, Jói P x Króli, were assaulted with a Mountain Dew…
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What Are Icelanders Talking About?: Weather, Wages, All We Need Is A Little Patience!
As we all know, Iceland is currently in the midst of the worst summer ever recorded. But in the last week, spirits were raised as uncharacteristically good weather hit the city with a bang, boosting morale and bringing some much needed Vitamin…
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What Are Icelanders Talking About? : The Latest Talking Points From Social Media
If there’s one topic that is always red hot amongst Icelanders, especially on social media, it’s tourism and its inevitable decline. Public broadcasting service RÚV reported that, in the wake of a forecast that there would soon be slightly fewer tourists to…
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What Are Icelanders Talking About?
We are often lectured about how tourism is good for the Icelandic economy. The lectures are necessary, because, unless you own a tour company, it’s often hard to tell how we’re benefitting. Tourists are fine, but some tour companies seem to be…
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What Are Icelanders Talking About?: Football, Football, Football And Backlash
It used to be that Eurovision was Iceland’s one and only chance to shine on the international stage. But now, with Iceland going to the World Cup, we have another reason to celebrate. As with Eurovision, there are the fans, those who…
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Monday News Edit: What Are Icelanders Talking About?
As we move towards the warmth of June, we also ponder what has been on Icelanders’ minds of late, besides the never-ending rain and their dreams of sunny beaches. Here’s a round-up of fresh debates, hot topics and crazy madness from these…
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Monday News Edit: What Are Icelanders Talking About?
As we welcome this (hopefully) last bit of winter before spring comes along, we also ponder what has been on Icelanders’ minds of late besides updated fines for drivers and more circumcision debates. Here’s a round-up of fresh debates, hot topics and…
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Monday News Edit: What Are Icelanders Talking About?
As we get ready to enjoy what is expected to be one of the best days of summer, we also ponder over what has been on Icelanders’ minds of late besides studded snow tires and the upcoming elections. Here’s a round-up of…
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Monday News Edit: What Are Icelanders Talking About?
Now that we’re all back at the office with our bellies full and our spirits broken because of a classic April snowfall that killed our hopes for an early spring, it’s also time for a new News Edit. So what has been…
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Monday News Edit: What Are Icelanders Talking About?
March has been eventful so far, but not always in a good way. As we step into a new week, groggy and unwilling to leave the comfort of our homes to toddle off to work, another News Edit follows, too. So what…