Iceland Roundup: Helipad, Tourists Rescued In The Highlands, Former First Lady Mugged & More

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 editor Aðalsteinn Kjartansson and Grapevine friend and contributor Sindri Eldon to round up the stories making headlines in recent weeks.

On the docket this week:

Staff at Landspítali will now be expected to speak Icelandic according to the hospital’s newly approved language policy. The requirements will first apply to nurses, nursing assistants, and medical residents. Higher Icelandic proficiency will also correspond to higher pay;

The most expensive building project in Iceland’s history, the new hospital in Reykjavík, is scheduled to open in 2030. However, issues remain unresolved regarding a helipad for the facility. In an interview with RÚV over the weekend, Minister of Health Alma Möller said that the plan is either to build a helipad on the roof of one of the new hospital buildings or to acquire a nearby plot of land, likely close to the BSÍ bus terminal, for that purpose;

On Saturday night, two tourists driving who-knows-where north of Torfajökull in the Icelandic highlands managed to get their Suzuki Jimny stuck in the river Dalakvísl. Two SAR teams were dispatched and spent eight hours rescuing them;

Sýn, formerly known as Stöð 2, announced on Friday that it will be discontinuing its television news broadcasts on the weekends. The network, founded in 1986 as Iceland’s first privately owned TV station, has been struggling financially, as have many other media companies. The announcement, which also included news of layoffs, has added to the ongoing discussion about the precarious financial situation of Icelandic media;

RÚV also reported that more turkey is being sold at this time of year than previously, suggesting that celebrating Thanksgiving may be joining Halloween as a tradition Icelanders are adopting;

Former First Lady of Iceland Dorrit Moussaieff reported on Instagram that she was mugged in London over the weekend, describing the incident, quite accurately, as a crime.