RVK Newscast 171: “Plague And War”

Welcome back to RVK Newscast from The Reykjavík Grapevine. It’s a difficult news day today; rising Covid deaths, an oil spill in the Westfjords and the ongoing war in Ukraine. Nevertheless, editor-in-chief, Valur Grettisson, and his irrepressible Chief Morale Officer, Pollý, are here to guide you through – and in the end there is always Eurovision to cheer us up!

A young child has died from a suspected Covid infection in Akureyri. While a Coronavirus diagnosis has been confirmed, it’s not fully clear if the child died from the virus specifically. A postmortem examination is being conducted, with more information expected soon. Deaths in general from Covid-19 have been high since the beginning of the year, making this the most deadly wave of the pandemic in Iceland. In the meantime, all restrictions have been lifted in Iceland, including border controls. Read our coverage of Coronavirus here.

Vets have had to destroy over one hundred eider ducks in the Westfjords, after an oil spill at the harbour at Suðureyri. Around 9,000 litres of oil leaked from an in-ground tank before the spill was noticed. Eider ducks, which are considered endangered, often seek shelter in harbours during the winter and so were particularly affected by the disaster. Efforts to clean up the area are currently underway. Read more here.

The Icelandic Eurovision finals, ‘Söngvakeppnin’, took place last Saturday. Five artists competed, and the winning act was a trio of sisters—Sigga, Beta & Elín—with “Með hækkandi sól”. They will go on to represent the country at the competition in Turin. Read more here.

Listen to The Icelandic Roundup, the new weekly podcast from Josie Anne and Valur! Episode two was released today, and you can find it on Spotify or online.

Want to try ‘Eitt Sett’, the Icelandic candy Valur loves? You can buy it in our store! We have over 60 kinds of Icelandic candy available online. Iceland has totally unique chocolates and candies that are only sold here, but you can have them delivered straight to your door and try them for yourself.

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