RVK Newscast 164: Inflation And A Whaling Ban?

Welcome back to RVK Newscast!

Today Reykjavík Grapevine editor-in-chief Valur Grettison (joined by his Chief Morale Officer, Pollý) takes a walk across the frozen pond Tjörnin in downtown Reykjavík while bringing you all the latest in Icelandic news: Covid, inflation, whaling and an update on the accident at Þingvellir.

The Search and Rescue team in Iceland have had to postpone the operation to retrieve the bodies of the people who died in the tragic aircraft crash in Þingvellir last week, due to poor weather conditions. Around 20 divers will participate in the effort, but each can only dive once a day for 20 minutes maximum due to the temperature of the water, making the process very challenging.

The death toll from COVID-19 is now 50 after a woman in her 90s died this week. However, the government are still aiming to remove all gathering bans and restrictions before the summer. Read our latest Coronavirus reporting here.

The Icelandic Central Bank has increased interest rates by 0.75, meaning it is now at a similar rate to the post-financial crash in 2008.

And finally, Svandís Svavarsdóttir, the Minister of Fisheries and Agriculture in Iceland, has suggested that whaling should be banned by 2024. His reasoning for this is that demand for whale meat has fallen drastically, leaving it financially unviable. Read more here.

The newscast is made possible with the help of our friends at Einstök Beer.

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You can now take walking tours of Reykjavík with Grapevine crew members Valur, Pollý and Bjartmar as your guides. Click here for more details.