ICELAND

Iceland: IPO planned for Íslandsbanki on Nasdaq Iceland

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet — According to mbl.is, the next step towards an IPO (initial public offering) and listing of shares in Íslandsbanki has been announced by The Icelandic State Financial Investments, on behalf of the Treasury of Iceland and Íslandsbanki hf.

The public offering is set to offer shares to institutional and retail investors in Iceland, as well as a private placement to certain institutional investors in various jurisdictions. The offering will be representing a minimum of 25 percent and the total amount issued and outstanding share capital of Íslandsbanki.

The proposal to initiate a sale process of Íslandsbanki was submitted to Bjarni Benediktsson, Iceland’s Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs, in December 2020.

“The listing of Íslandsbanki on Nasdaq Iceland is an important first step to reduce the Icelandic state’s significant ownership in the banking sector and will provide a clear path for the state to sell its remaining shares in the bank in the near future,” explains Benediktsson.

Benediktsson followed up by saying, “Thereby we move one step closer to a healthier environment in our banking sector, such as those of our neighboring countries in the Nordics. I am very pleased to see how well the process for the IPO, run by ISFI and its advisors, is going and look forward to seeing it successfully completed.”

 

 

Iceland: Vatnajökull National Park deemed Europe’s second best

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet – Vatnajökull National Park ranks second among Europe’s national parks in 2021 on TripAdvisor’s Travelers’ Choice Best of the Best list, just issued, Morgunblaðið reports. Worldwide, it ranks 17th. Yorkshire Dales National Park in the UK, ranks first among European national parks and 11th worldwide.

At the top of the worldwide list is the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania, followed by Jim Corbett National Park in India and Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya.

“The largest national park in Europe, Vatnajokull combines thick blue ice caves, black sand beaches, waterfalls, and even lush green fields to create an otherworldly landscape that begs to be explored,” the review reads. “Ásbyrgi, a canyon known for its distinct horseshoe shape, is a must for those hoping to discover local woodland. Whether climbing Iceland’s highest peak, Hvannadalshnúkur, or hiking to the Detifoss waterfall, the country’s scenic terrain and breathtaking geological formations can’t be missed.”

The annual list is created by collecting reviews, ratings, and saves that travelers share from across the globe — and using that information to spotlight the very best.

Iceland: Mountaineer John Snorri Sigurjónsson and his companions presumed dead

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet – Mountaineers John Snorri Sigurjónsson, from Iceland, Muhammad Ali Sadpara, from Pakistan, and Juan Pablo Mohr Prieto, from Chile, who have been missing on K2 since February 5, are believed to have died on the mountain, mbl.is reports, quoting AFP.

K2 is the world’s second highest mountain, located on the border of China and Pakistan. It is considered one of the world’s most dangerous mountains for climbers. An extensive search effort has proven unsuccessful.

“All the weather experts, climbers and experts from the Pakistan army have reached the conclusion that a human being cannot live for that long in such harsh weather,” Raja Nasir Ali Khan, provincial minister for tourism in Gilgit-Baltistan, where K2 is located, stated. “That’s why we are announcing that they are no more.”

He added that search for the bodies would continue.

Featured image: Muhammad Ali Sa­dp­ara, left, and John Snorri Sigurjónsson on K2 before they went missing. From the Facebook page of John Snorri

Iceland: Houses Evacuated in Seyðisfjörður

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet – About 100 residents of 46 houses in Seyðisfjörður, the East Fjords, had to evacuate their homes last night, due to a risk of landslides, mbl.is reports. As forecast, there was considerable rain overnight in the town – up to 45 mm, according to the Icelandic Met Office.

“We expect the rain to cease by mid-morning,” states Tómas Jóhannesson, avalanche specialist at the Icelandic Met Office, “and the evacuation order will be reassessed in the afternoon.”

The evacuation was ordered as a precautionaly measure, since the stability of the slopes of Botnabrún mountain is unknown following the landslide that occurred there in December of last year and destroyed a number of buildings.  It is not know how the strata will react to heavy precipitation.

A total of 35 spots in the slope are being monitored with equipment from the Icelandic Met Office.

This morning, Tómas had not yet received any news of landslides.

Yesterday, the national police commissioner, in consultation with the Icelandic Met Office and the East Iceland police chief, declared an alert phase in the area, due to the risk of landslides.

Iceland: Icelandic agriculture set to be carbon neutral by 2040

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet — According to a new agreement outlined by the Icelandic Ministry of Industry and Innovation, agriculture in Iceland is set to be fully carbon neutral by 2040.

On Thursday 4th February, Iceland’s Minister of Fisheries and Agriculture, Minister of Finance and Economy, and the Minister of Finance and Economy signed an agreement on changes to the previous framework agreement that looks at the general working conditions for agriculture. As part of this agreement, emphasis was placed on climate change, which sees Iceland’s agriculture becoming fully carbon neutral by 2040.

During the meeting, it was also agreed that the new direction of agriculture would lay the foundation to reexamining farming produce contracts in 2023.

Furthermore, finances gained from farming produce contracts will go to The Farmers Association of Iceland to develop new branding, similar to that of its Nordic counterparts.

 

Icealnd: Disney makes Icelandic promise

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet – Disney will start offering at least some content dubbed and subtitled into Icelandic on its streaming service in Iceland over the coming months, following dismay that Icelandic children are currently not offered Icelandic content. The confirmation came following a letter from Iceland’s education and culture minister.

Education minister Lilja Alfreðsdóttir sent her letter to Disney on 1st February and has now received a response from Hans van Rijn, head of the Disney service in the Nordic and Baltic regions.

In her letter, Lilja asked the company to start offering Icelandic-language content on its streaming service.

“Since Disney+ launched in Iceland last September, we have been exploring how we can add more dubbed and subtitled stories in Icelandic. I am pleased to share with you today that work is underway to make that a reality,” Van Rijn writes.

He says Lion King, Toy Story, Wall-E, Cars, Frozen 2, Coco, and more can be expected in Icelandic, though not for several months yet.

“More must be done whenever possible,” Lilja wrote on social media. “It looks like materials will be made available in the spring, but I will pressure to make that work happen faster.”

Iceland: “Husavik” Shortlisted For The Best Original Song At 93rd Oscars

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet – “Husavik”, from the film ‘Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga’, has the possibility of being nominated for the best original song at this years Oscars.

The shortlists for nine categories were announced yesterday. Other categories, such as best documentary feature, best visual effects and international feature film were also announced.

Not the first time the song has been nominated for an award.

The song received a nomination for best song at the Critics’ Choice Awards last year.

The film itself was nominated for two People’s Choice Awards; those awards being best comedy film and best comedy actor (Will Farrel).

It was also nominated at the Grammy Awards for the best compilation soundtrack for visual media.
A smash hit with Icelanders.

The film was exceptionally popular in Iceland when it released on Netflix last year. The film takes place in Husavik and is about a singer who desperately wants to perform at the Eurovision contest.

The song was composed written by Fat Max Gsus, Rickard Göransson and Savan Kotecha. It was sung by both Will Farrel and Molly Sandén.

Atli Örvarsson composed the music for the film Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga but did not compose the song Husavik.

Nominations for the Oscars will be announced on March 15th and then it will be revealed whether the song will be nominated or not.

The Oscars themselves will be hosted on the 25th April.

Iceland: The Supreme Court of Iceland rejected Samherji appeal

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet – The Supreme Court of Iceland yesterday dismissed an appeal from fishing company Samherji against the Reykjavík District Court ruling that sided with the district prosecutor and forced the KPMG auditing company to hand over bookkeeping information and financial statements for all companies in the Samherji group between 2011 and 2020.

Samherji released a statement today harshly criticising both the District Court judges and the district prosecutor. The ruling from the Supreme Court does not hide any of the names that were blurred out in the previous District Court and Landsréttur rulings.

The Supreme Court dismissal states that the appeal should not have been taken to the top court and that the Landsréttur appeals court ruling should have been final. The court published the verdicts of both Landsréttur and Reykjavík District Court, including all the names that had been removed previously.

Samherji released a strongly-worded statement on its website today, following the court’s decision.

There it says that the company has submitted a complaint about the working methods of Reykjavík District Court judges to the judicial review committee, and another to the committee that deals with complaints against the police about the conduct of the district prosecutor.

In its unsuccessful appeal to Landsréttur, Samherji complained that no evidence had been compiled by the time Reykjavík District Court took the case on, and claimed that the judge should have demanded the prosecutor submit more details on the documentation before deciding whether or not it could be demanded. That was not done.

Samherji’s complaint is directed against District Court judge Ingibjörg Þorsteinsdóttir, who ruled in the case, agreeing that the district prosecutor did have the legal right to demand the documents about Samherji from KPMG.

Iceland: Pfizer decides against study in Iceland

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet – It became clear yesterday that the pharmaceutical company Pfizer will not be conducting a phase IV trial of its COVID-19 vaccine in Iceland, Morgunblaðið reports. Pfizer’s representatives stated that given how few cases of COVID-19 there are in Iceland, the chances were slim that such a study would yield useful results.

Chief Epidemiologist Þórólfur Guðnason, Kári Stefánsson, CEO of deCode Genetics, and Már Kristjánsson, head of Landspítali’s infectious disease division, met online yesterday with representatives of Pfizer to discuss the possibility of Pfizer conducting a study in Iceland in order to research, among other things, whether herd immunity could be achieved.

Þórólfur stated that at no stage had a draft agreement been in place. Expectations in society, therefore, had been too high.

Kári told mbl.is yesterday he believed media coverage of the talks had had a negative impact on their process.

A total of 4,856 people have been vaccinated for COVID-19 in Iceland, representing 1.33 percent of the nation. Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir has stated she finds it likely that by the middle of the year, more than half of the nation will have been vaccinated.

Þórólfur stated yesterday he expects vaccine deliveries to occur more rapidly during the second and third quarters than during the first one. For now, he wants to maintain our good progress in fighting the virus by efficiently organizing border testing.

He has mentioned the possibility of an obligatory stay at a quarantine facility upon arrival in the country until people have received the result of their second COVID-19 test, done four to five days after arrival. Making such a stay obligatory would be in accordance with the law, but the government has not revealed whether it plans to enact such a measure.

Iceland: Einar Hansberg Árnason set a new world record when deadlifted a total of 528,090 kilogrammes in one day

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
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NordenBladet – Einar Hansberg Árnason this weekend broke a world record when he deadlifted a total of 528,090 kilogrammes in one day. He dedicated his world record to the fight for children’s welfare.

Einar spent most of the 24-hour slog with 60 kg on his barbell, but reduced it to 45 as the early morning approached. He completed 9,287 reps in total and his achievement is now in the process of being approved for inclusion in the Guinness Book of World Records for the most weight lifted in a single day. Einar completed his final lift at lunchtime on Sunday, to the loud delight of those gathered at CrossFit Reykjavík. The previous record stood at around 521 tonnes, which Einar broke by some seven tonnes.

Einar said after the record was broken that he is grateful for the support, both from those directly involved, and from the public.

“With hindsight, it was a lot of fun, but it was really tough and there were difficult periods, like at 09.00 this morning when the ship really stranded for a while, but we found a way around that. If you just put the right foot in front of the left and then the left foot in front of the right, you can get places,” Einar said.

He says he wants to use his achievement to direct people’s attention to child welfare: people need to listen to their children and work to improve communication with them.

Einar says that while the record was a challenge, his body remained in good shape: “I’m fine, though there’s surely a lot of endorphins rushing around my body and I’m very stiff.” Was he planning to train on Monday? “No. But I think that’s mainly because my wife wouldn’t let me!”

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