gpt-MT/evaluation/testset/wmt-testset/isen/test.is-en.en

Screaming at the world
The marketing campaign Looks Like You Need Iceland is considered to have gone off to a good start, and screaming and yelling in nature is beginning to pull in people all over the world.
"You're right, I need Iceland," says a woman somewhere in the world in the comments for an advertisement from the Looks Like You Need Iceland marketing campaign on YouTube.
Another viewer says they will keep Iceland in their heart for all eternity, and a young woman says she literally has to get to Iceland as soon as possible as her fiancé resides there.
Unfortunately, she's in the United States so she expects to have to wait for another few months.
Yet another viewer asks whether the walking route to Iceland is clear, because there are no aeroplanes.
It is left unsaid whether this person is from another time zone.
Egill Þórðarson at the advertising agency Peel, who was involved in making the advertisements along with the international advertising agency M&C Saatchi, says that the response has exceeded all expectations.
"I was involved in many Inspired by Iceland campaigns that have been very successful but this new campaign is already breaking records.
This basically revolves around creating PR value, that is to get foreign media to cover the campaign, and that has been incredibly successful.
In a relatively short time, we have received coverage in about 700 media outlets all over the world, with a combined audience of over two billion.
The value of this coverage is estimated at ISK 1.8 billion.
That's not too bad."
The main market is usually the United States, and the campaign has been very successful there, although Americans are not coming to the country anytime soon.
According to Egill, well-known market areas like Denmark, the UK and Germany have also been responsive, as well as Russia, which is a pleasant surprise.
There has also been a response from remote areas, such as India, which was not a particular objective.
"These advertisements have travelled further than we expected," says Egill, and it may be pointed out that over four million people have watched the content on YouTube.
"We couldn't have wished for a better start."
The photographs in this spread were taken by Árni Sæberg, photographer for Morgunblaðið, during the shooting of the "Let It Out" advertisements in the middle of last month.
Shooting took place in various locations, including on Skólavörðustígur in Reykjavik, at Reynisfjara, Skógarfoss waterfall, on Sólheimajökull glacier and in a cave by Hjörleifshöfði.
Samúel Bjarki Pétursson and Gunnar Páll Ólafsson at Skoti productions directed and Óttar Guðnason was the cameraman.
Actors in these shoots were Anna Jia from Iceland and Murphy Cardenas, who is from Cuba and Hungary.
Tens of Icelanders were involved in making the advertisements, and while shooting was taking place in South Iceland, another crew was working in West Iceland and the Westfjords.
According to Egill, "Let It Out" is only the first part of the Looks Like You Need Iceland campaign, with a winter campaign being planned in collaboration with M&C Saatchi.
"This is only the first phase in this work for Promote Iceland," says Egill, adding that the collaboration with M&C Saatchi has gone extremely well.
"It's great working with them.
It's very important in projects like this to have foreign partners who are knowledgable about the markets we're addressing."
Sprengisandur: Discussion of the situation on the labour market, pension funds and much more
Ásmundur Einar Daðason, Minister of Social Affairs and Children, will be a guest on Sprengisandur today at ten o'clock on Bylgjan.
He is also Labour Market Minister and will, as such, discuss the current labour market situation, the Icelandair issue and more.
He will also discuss the issues of rural areas and the relocation of jobs there, which has been unsuccessful and controversial in recent years and decades.
Another guest of the programme is VR Chairman Ragnar Þór Ingólfsson, who will discuss his criticism of pension fund investments and present his proposals of the labour movement and employers withdrawing from pension fund boards to reduce the risk of conflicts of interest.
There will also be an interview with Ívar Ingimarsson, tourism operator in East Iceland, and Árnheiður Jóhannsdóttir, managing director of Visit North Iceland, about the state of tourism in rural Iceland.
They will look ahead, towards the coming autumn, and consider whether the success this summer is a misleading indicator of what lies ahead.
You can listen to the programme, which starts at ten, below.
This is what she looks like now, 25 years later
Actress Elisa Donovan had a successful career in various teenage series.
She became world-famous, however, with her performance as Amber in the film Clueless, 25 years ago.
She also appeared in the series Sabrina: The Teenage Witch along with Melissa Joan Hart, A Night at the Roxbury and in Beverly Hills 90210.
Donovan is now 49 years old and married, with one child.
Although she has stayed out of the limelight in recent years, she agreed to look back and talk about Clueless in an Australian television interview.
She recalls Brittany Murphy, who died unexpectedly in 2009, with fondness and says that she was a wonderful human being.
"I have to admit that I based the character mostly on girls that I knew in school and who weren't nice to me.
As soon as I read the script, I know who this person was," says Donovan about her Clueless performance.
Did not want to leave the police station after an overnight stay
The Reykjavík Metropolitan Police dealt with about fifty incidents today and according to the Police Diary, the nature of these incidents was diverse.
The day at the police station on Hverfisgata began with the police having to deal with a man who had just been let out of a holding cell where he had been held because of drunk driving.
The man refused to leave when he was set free and ignored the orders of police to leave the premises.
The man's conduct earned him an extension of his stay at the police station.
A man was arrested in the early hours, suspected of breaking into a business in Kópavogur.
The police also had to deal with two men in Breiðholt because of a reported assault.
A woman who had enjoyed a meal at a shopping centre in Kópavogur was unable to pay the check so the police was called.
A car was also reported stolen in the town centre this morning.
Someone took off in a white Renault van while its driver left it briefly unattended.
The car has not been found.
The Glee curse - the tragic fate of the Glee stars
According to a theory that has caught on online, there is a curse on the television series Glee, with actress Naya Rivera's recent drowning death in California making her the third lead actor in the series to die long before their time.
Glee is a popular series about song, dance and joy.
The series revolved around a so-called glee club for high school teenagers, their loves and their destinies.
It was not always easy to be in the glee club, but through song and dance, the characters in the series seemed to overcome all circumstances that arose in their lives.
But off the set, great tragedies have befallen the cast and crew of the series, to the extent that theories have began circulating about there being a curse on the series.
Naya Marie Rivera played the role of no-nonsense cheerleader Santana Lopez in the series.
After the conclusion of the series, Rivera married actor Ryan Dorsey and had with him her first and only child, Josey.
In 2017, Rivera was arrested for domestic violence against her husband and they were subsequently divorced.
Dorsey refused to press charges, however, and the domestic violence case was dropped.
On 8 July of this year, Rivera was reported missing after her four-year old son was found drifting alone in a boat on Lake Piru in California.
The boy was found sleeping in a life jacket aboard the boat, and he was able to tell police authorities that he and his mother had dived into the water and River had then put him back in the boat but never returned there herself.
An extensive search for Rivera was launched.
The day after the search began, the chief of police in the area reported that the search was conducted according to the assumption that Rivera had drowned.
Five days later, Rivera was found and officially declared dead.
It is believed that she got caught up in a heavy current in the water and used her last remaining strength to save her son.
The cause of death was recorded as accidental drowning.
Cory Allan Michael Monteith played the role of Finn Hudson in the series, the American football player with the voice of angel who played a major role in Glee's success.
But outside the series, Moneith faced personal demons.
He had had addiction problems since the age of 13 and found it difficult to escape from them.
In 2013, his co-workers on the series had had enough and staged an intervention to encourage him to seek help.
Moneith subsequently entered rehab and everything seemed to be heading in the right direction.
Only two months after completing his rehab programme, Moneith was found dead in a hotel room after a night out partying with his friends.
The cause of death turned out to be a fatal mixture of drugs and alcohol.
The death was not believed to be intentional.
Moneith had been through rehab and his tolerance for intoxicants had become so low that a dose that he could easily tolerate before now proved to be fatal.
He was only 31 years old when he passed away.
His death was a great shock to his co-workers, but at the instigation of his co-star Lea Michele, the decision was made to continue shooting the series, with an entire episode dedicated to the memory of Moneith and his character, Finn.
In the series, Mark Wayne Salling played the role of Noah „Puck“ Puckerman, who played American football, like Finn, and had little respect for his fellow students in the glee club, that is until he worked up the courage to admit that he liked singing and dancing.
Two years later, Salling was arrested at his Los Angeles home, suspected of possessing child pornography.
A search of his home revealed enormous quantities of child pornography and the matter soon became public knowledge.
It was obvious that Salling was done.
He was subsequently charged and convicted for his violations.
He was facing four to seven years of prison time, as well as being placed on a register of sex offenders and having to seek treatment for paedophilia.
Before the judge had passed a sentence, Salling, who was out on bail, was found dead near his home.
The cause of death was suicide.
Cast members were not the only ones to die untimely deaths.
Jim Fuller was an assistant director on the series.
He died unexpectedly in his sleep, only 41 years of age.
A woman named Nancy Motes also worked on the series.
She was the younger sister of superstar Julia Roberts and did not speak fondly of her sister, accusing Roberts of being highly controlling and behaving disrespectfully.
Motes, who battled serious depression, took her own life in 2014.
She left a note to her fiancé where she accused her mother and sister of being among the ones responsible for her situation.
“I leave nothing to my mother and so-called siblings except the memory that they were the cause of my worst depression.”
Lea Michel was the star of the series.
She has recently been accused of bullying her co-stars, being aggressive on set and displaying excessive diva-like behaviour.
Jesse Luken had a guest role on the series in 2012.
In 2019, he was arrested and charged with drunk driving, which was considered a huge scandal.
Actress Heather Morris had a major role in the series.
In 2010, unscrupulous computer hackers obtained nude photographs of her and published them online.
Actors Melissa Benoist and Blake Jenner both had roles in the series and had an off-screen affair.
Benoist later revealed that Jenner had been abusive towards her during their relationship.
Flowers can be put on almost anything
It has a positive impact on children's development to be able to play in the garden with their parents, plant flowers and watch them grow.
As the Swedish photographer Anna Kubel points out, flowers also offer endless possibilities.
Just spending time with the children in the garden is something that is never forgotten.
They will remember the flowers, the smell and of course the precious time they could spend with their parents.
Bought a boat after tenth grade
"I don't think there's many of us sailors working in the country's preschools," says Axel Örn Guðmundsson, who is an inshore fisherman in the summer and studies psychology at the University of Iceland in winter.
"Inshore fishing is a very comfortable summer job when you're a student.
You can have a good income if the fishing is good, and I think it's great to be able to avoid taking student loans.
My income also lasts well into the winter," says Axel Örn Guðmundsson, a 25-year old psychology student who works as an inshore fisherman this summer, like in previous summers.
Axel had just docked in the Tálknafjörður harbour when this reporter met up with him late one evening at the start of the week.
"During my 10th grade winter, I got a licence to skipper boats under 12 metres in length, and I bought my boat in the summer after I finished elementary school.
I have been inshore fishing on my boat every summer since then.
I bought a used boat from my acquaintance, Hartmann Jónsson, and named the boat after him.
Hartmann was getting on in years and had retired from fishing by the time I bought his boat, and he was very pleased when he saw that the boat bore his name.
Hartmann died a few years after I took over the boat," says Axel, adding that he bought the boat for three million.
"I made an agreement with Hartmann to pay half, one and a half million, at the beginning of summer and the other half at the end of summer, when I was done fishing.
So I owned the boat, debt-free, at the end of my first summer on it."
But how could a boy own one and a half million to use as a down payment on a boat when he had just finished elementary school?
"I had saved and raised money, I went out to sea with my dad when I was a boy, I spent all summers fishing with him and got my share.
I also put the money from my confirmation into my boat fund."
Axel was born in Ísafjörður, the home of all his maternal relatives, but has lived in Kópavogur since he was a boy.
"I'm allowed to fish here in the western area because my domicile is with my grandmother in Ísafjörður.
I learned about these spots out here in the west from going fishing with my dad.
I move from fjord to fjord according to how I feel, because this fishing zone extends across the entire Westfjords.
Although I think it's best to be out west, I have also fished around Snæfellsnes and in other places.
I have also gone fishing down south, but then it's mainly lumpfish," says Axel, who always sails out alone in the very early hours of the morning and says that he'll sometimes talk to the seagulls and sing to the sky in his hours of solitude in the middle of the ocean.
"There's good internet connection out at sea so I can make calls and listen to podcasts and music.
I don't find it difficult at all to be alone on the boat.
Of course I try to avoid danger, but there have certainly been instances of something going wrong with the weather, although never any great risk," says Axel, who is lucky in that he is never seasick.
He says that the length of the working day depends on how the fishing goes each time.
"In inshore fishing, I never spend more than 14 hours fishing at a time, but I have also been fishing according to other systems, the hired quota system, for instance, where I have been out at sea fishing for one and a half days without interruption.
He says that according to the inshore fishing arrangement, he's allowed to catch 770 kilos per day, which he feels is restrictive.
"Other restrictions are not being allowed to fish on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, and I'm only allowed to fish for twelve days a month for the four months of inshore fishing, May, June, July and August.
I believe that sailors should pick their fishing days according to the weather and nothing else.
There is this unnecessary pressure to go out fishing instead of having 48 days over the whole summer and being able to pick them as you please.
I also wouldn't mind if the division into zones would stop, in which case the fishing villages that are ideally located close to fishing grounds should be allowed to reap the benefits," says Axel, whose main catch in his inshore fishing is cod, along with some saithe and the occasional other species.
During the winter, Axel works at the preschool Núpur in Kópavogur alongside his university studies.
"I don't think there's many of us sailors working in the country's preschools," says Axel with pride, adding that he only intended to work temporarily at the preschool.
"I got stuck there because I think it's a wonderful job.
I hope that the psychology studies will be useful for me at the preschool level," says Axel, who is also well on his way in his business administration studies.
Registration error prevented return hygiene measures
An error in the registration form that people fill out when coming to the country resulted in an individual residing in this country not being called for testing again.
It is not a requirement to record an identification number if the form is filled out in English, like it is when it is done in Icelandic.
"We will look into it this week," says an expert at the Directorate of Health's Disease Prevention Department.
Three domestic infections were diagnosed at the virology department of Landspítali hospital yesterday.
One of those who turned out to be positive came to the country on 15 July, two days after the rules on the so-called return hygiene measures entered into force.
According to them, those who reside in Iceland are screened upon arrival in the country and called for a second test four or five days later.
But according to RÚV's news at noon, the person in question followed the old system.
The test at the border was negative and he was not called for another screening for the virus.
In an interview with the news agency, Kamilla Rut Sigfúsdóttir, expert at the Directorate of Health's Disease Prevention Department, said that this could be traced to an error in the electronic registration form.
If people fill out the registration form in English, they are not required to enter their registration number, as is the case in the Icelandic version.
As a matter of fact, this was mainly intended for foreign tourists.
That is why the person in question did not receive an automatic summon to be tested.
Kamilla says that despite this, many people observed the rules on return hygiene measures despite filling out the registration form in English and in some instances, employers have also taken care to send people to be tested after their arrival in the country.
"This week, we will look into how this can be made more accessible for people, how to make them aware of the process."
The man is in isolation and six have been quarantined.
They will all be tested but two had become symptomatic.
The three infections diagnosed yesterday are currently being traced, but tracing on the two infections reported on Friday has mostly been completed.
In both instances, sequence analysis by deCode Genetics revealed a coronavirus strain not found before in this country.
In one instance, there are reasons to suspect Israel, although it is known that the one who brought the virus to the country also travelled to other European countries.
Kamilla says that it should be clear tomorrow from where the other virus is coming.
A total of 15 people are now in isolation according to the website COVID.is.
135 are in quarantine.
Four out of five infections unrelated
Five domestic infections have been diagnosed in the country in recent days.
Four of these are completely unconnected and the origin of the infection that came up at the Rey Cup tournament yesterday, for instance, has not been found.
Infection tracing is still ongoing.
More than twenty individuals were originally quarantined but were later reduced to sixteen.
A total of 34 people are quarantined because of these new infections detected yesterday.
This is the second time in a short period that an infection is detected at a sporting event, which has raised questions of whether such events should be held.
Jóhann K. Jóhannsson, Communications Director of the Department of Civil Protection, says that it's completely possible as long as people comply with guidelines and rules.
"We are constantly reminding all who live here that individual disease prevention measures must be maintained.
We also have to remind people who are holding events that there are certain rules that must be observed.
That way we can hold events," says Jóhann.
He says that infections can be prevented by promoting individual disease prevention measures.
In addition to that, rules and guidelines are constantly being reexamined.
"What has to be done, and what the Department of Civil Protection and the Directorate of Health are constantly exhorting people to do, is to tend to these individual disease prevention measures.
Both at home and at service companies.
For people to wash their hands and use disinfectant.
That prevents infections from spreading," says Jóhann.
"We have to remind people to continue on the positive path we were on, in order to be able to maintain the results we have achieved up to this point."
40% of COVID-19 fatalities had type 2 diabetes
Devon Brumfield could hear through the phone how difficult it was for her father to catch his breath.
Her father had diabetes so she urged him to seek medical care.
The next day he was dead.
His death was traced to acute respiratory distress from coronavirus infection.
His death certificate noted diabetes as an underlying condition and Brumfield, who also has diabetes, is terrified of meeting the same fate.
According to Reuters, Brumfield's fear is not unfounded.
Figures from a new study commissioned by the US government show that nearly 40% of those who have died had type 2 diabetes as an underlying condition.
When looking at those who had not reached the age of 65, the proportion increases to half.
The study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) extended to over 10,000 people in 15 states who died from the coronavirus during the period between February and May.
Jonathan Wortham, an epidemiologist with the CDC, said that the findings were striking, not least for those who have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and their loved ones.
Was a slow-moving pandemic Reuters commissioned a survey where the answers from the 12 states that responded indicate a similar rate.
10 states, including California, Arizona and Columbia, have not yet began reporting underlying conditions.
"Diabetes was already a slow-moving pandemic.
Now COVID-19 has crashed through like a powerful wave," said Elbert Huang, director of the University of Chicago's Center for Chronic Disease Research and Policy, to Reuters.
Diabetes is more common among Blacks and Latinos, who have also suffered more from the coronavirus.
One of the best defences for those who have type 2 diabetes is to keep the disease under control with exercise, a healthy diet and the assistance of healthcare workers.
However, the coronavirus pandemic has made it difficult for many to maintain a routine.
The high price of insulin has also forced some people to keep showing up for work, thereby risking virus exposure.
Reuters points out that US authorities should have been aware of the high risk that the virus may pose to type 2 diabetes patients.
During the SARS coronavirus outbreak of 2003, more than 20% of fatalities had the disease, and in the swine flu pandemic of 2009, this group faced triple the risk of hospitalisation.
And when MERS emerged in 2012, one study showed that 60% of those who died or were admitted to intensive care units had diabetes.
Charles S. Dela Cruz, researcher at Yale University says that because the effects of the COVID-19 virus last longer, the pandemic may unearth a number of previously unknown complications.
"My fear is we will see a tsunami of problems once this is over," said Andrew Boulton, president of the International Diabetes Federation.
Doctors have warned that the coronavirus may indirectly lead to a spike in diabetes-related complications, including kidney disease and dialysis.
New studies also indicate that the coronavirus may lead to an increase in cases of diabetes.
According to Reuters, scientists are striving to understand the connections between the coronavirus and type 2 diabetes.
The virus targets the heart, lung and kidneys, organs already weakened in many diabetes patients.
High glucose and lipid counts in diabetes patients can also trigger a so-called "cytokine storm," when the immune system overreacts, attacking the body.
Furthermore, damaged endothelial cells can lead to inflammation, which in turn may cause a lethal blood clot.
"It's all one big puzzle," says Dela Cruz.
"It's all interrelated."
The report has been corrected.
"We were offered champagne, then they left the room"
Husband and wife Atli Bollason and Ásrún Magnúsdóttir agreed to an unusual request from artist Ragnar Kjartansson: to have sex in front of a camera for an exhibition that the artist was mounting in Paris.
"We loved each other so this was not complicated."
Atli Bollason never forgets meeting his wife and mother of his children, Ásrún Magnúsdóttir, for the first time.
"I became very infatuated with her.
There was her charisma, of course, but I also thought she was just incredibly cute.
And I still think so," he says.
Ásrún also remembers this, as her husband regularly reminisces about their first encounter.
"I'm always hearing this story.
The last time was just this weekend," says Ásrún, who was also attracted to her husband when they first met.
"I felt, and still feel, that there's so much excitement around Atli, which I like.
There's a lot going on and much happening and I was charmed by that."
Atli says that in their relationship, the couple have focused on going their own way.
"We don't tread the well-worn paths.
We avoid the routines that we can detect around us."
That may be why they simply welcomed artist Kjartan Ragnarsson's request, despite it being unusual, to put it mildly.
"Our mutual friend, Kristín Anna, contacted us to ask whether we could join her, Raggi and Ragnar's wife, Ingibjörg, for desserts at Snaps."
They accepted the invitation, met the trio at Snaps and had dessert wine and one dessert each.
They listened to Ragnar, who talked them through his plans for the art exhibition that he intended to mount at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris that autumn.
"He had a multi-channel video installation called Scenes from Western Culture.
He described it in a simple manner."
According to Ásrún, he described the piece as banal and decadent scenes from the everyday life of Westerners.
"He had sketches of all the scenes that he intended to shoot and the last thing he told us about was the thing that he wanted to know whether we would be interested in taking part in."
The scene that Ragnar asked the couple to take part in was supposed to show a middle-class couple making love in a minimalistic room.
"It's intercourse with a beginning and end," says Atli.
The couple didn't know Ragnar well, although they were aware of him and he of them, "but they were familiar with us and felt that we were right for this.
They mentioned that they didn't want to advertise for people.
Maybe they thought that they wouldn't get the right people but rather people who receive sexual gratification from performing for others."
They said goodbye to Ragnar and agreed to think about the matter, but that didn't take long.
"As we walked out of Snaps we said: Aren't we up for this?
It was just like that.
I trust Ragnar as an artist, as well as his whole team," says Ásrún and Atli concurs.
"This is about the love and intimacy"
The scene was filmed in a fancy apartment at Mýrargata.
The crew was very small: a cameraman, Ragnar and a sound technician, and the couple.
When the recording had been turned on, everyone except Atli and Ásrún left the room to wait in a car outside.
"We hadn't decided anything about what we were going to be like.
We received some minor instructions, but we tried to forget the time and place.
To be unaware of what we were doing and for whom.
There was no acting, we just loved each other so it wasn't complicated," says Ásrún.
But was it romantic?
"Yes, it was a little romantic," says Atli, and Ásrún agrees.
„We were offered champagne before they left the room.
It was a little like being on vacation at a fancy hotel in Paris."
The crew was pleased with the couple's performance in the piece, and it moved them.
"Tommi the cameraman cried when he watched it, he thought it was so beautiful," says Atli.
"It's as much about the love and intimacy as about the intercourse itself," says Ásrún.
The couple's parents have seen the piece, and Atli says that his mother heard her son's voice at the Reykjavik Art Museum and then realised that he was part of the piece.
"Then she turned around and began to examine it," says Atli.
"Mom and dad saw it in Paris.
We hadn't told anyone about this, but then dad just sends me a message and says: It was fun to run into the little family in the Palais de Tokyo," Ásrún recalls.
And did taking part in the project deepen the relationship between Ásrún and Atli?
We're still together, anyway, so maybe it deepened something.
At least it deepened the relationship with my in-laws," says Ásrún with a laugh.
As for Ásrún, she saw the piece in Copenhagen with her colleague.
"I found it a little difficult to be with someone other than you," she says, turning to her husband.
"But it was fun to see it because it's just one scene in a much bigger piece and it's very impressive when you see it along with the other pieces.
I was able to detach myself a little from it, and I was just proud.
And there was the little bean in my belly," says Ásrún, who was pregnant with the couple's second child when the scene was shot.
"It was just beautiful."
Anna Marsibil Clausen talked to Ásrún and Atli for Love Stories on Channel 1.
Swansea wins the first playoff semifinal
Swansea defeated Brentford, 1—0, in a dramatic encounter.
This was the teams' first of two playoff semifinals to reach the Premier League.
The match was played on Swansea's home ground in Wales.
The score at half time was 0–0.
The Swansea locals were awarded a penalty in the 64th minute but Andre Ayew failed to put his penalty kick past the goalkeeper.
Just two minutes later, Brentford player Rico Henry received the red card.
Brentford was therefore a man down for the remainder of the match and in the 82nd minute, the Swansea players used their advantage.
Andre Ayew made up for his failed penalty by scoring an excellent goal and securing a 1–0 victory for Swansea.
Swansea therefore has a 1–0 lead in the playoff semifinals with the second match taking place next Wednesday on Brentford's home ground.
No ambassador for five years since 2009
The US ambassador to Iceland, Jeffrey Gunter Ross, is the focus of media attention following CBS's report this morning that he requested an armed bodyguard because he feared for his life.
It has not been an easy task for the US President to appoint an ambassador to this country, however.
Since Carol Van Voorst left the office of US ambassador in late April 2009, Iceland has been without an ambassador for a total of 62 months, or over five years.
Van Voorst left office under peculiar circumstances, with Kastljós reporting in 2009 that she was supposed to receive the Order of the Falcon.
While on her way to a farewell meeting with the President of Iceland, she received a telephone call from the President's office to tell her that she wouldn't be awarded the honour.
After leaving Iceland, she taught international communications at the Army War College.
Sixteen months passed until Van Voorst's successor arrived in September 2010.
This may be have been due in part to Robert S. Connan being previously appointed ambassador but then changing his mind.
Finally, Loius Ariega, who had worked in the foreign service for decades, took on the job.
He stepped down in the autumn of 2013 to assume the office of ambassador to Guatemala.
There was subsequently another ambassador-less period.
In January 2015, the United States Senate approved the appointment of Robert Barber, who arrived shortly thereafter, by which time there had been no ambassador for 13 months.
Barber was politically appointed rather than a diplomat, having worked as a lawyer and contributed to Barack Obama's election fund.
He stepped down as soon as Donald Trump assumed the office of President on 20 January 2017, as is the custom with politically appointed ambassadors.
The Trump administration took unusually long to appoint both ambassadors and high-ranking officials in Washington.
Two years passed until the United States Senate summoned Jeffrey Ross Gunter to question him thoroughly before confirming his appointment as ambassador to Iceland.
In his Senate hearing, he said that he had never been to Iceland but had frequently been to Western Europe, as his late wife had been of Dutch descent.
Gunter is a political appointee who was previously a dermatologist in California and has been active in the organisation of Jews in the Republican Party, the Republican Jewish Coalition.
The organisation was founded by casino owner Sheldon Adelson, who is a fervent supporter of Donald Trump.
Gunter arrived to assume office in Iceland in May 2019, by which time there had been no ambassador in the country since early 2017, for two years and four months, which is a record length of time in this country.
The reason is both the long time it took for the Trump administration to appoint people to key offices and the great delays in the work of the Senate in recent years, including in the confirmation of ambassadors.
Since 2009, Iceland has therefore been without an ambassador for a total of over five years.
This has not prevented construction projects by the embassy, which recently opened new headquarters at Engjateigur.
The construction is believed to have cost about ISK 6.5 billion, with enormously thick security walls surrounding the building and bulletproof glass in all windows.
This does not seem to be enough to give the current ambassador a sense of security, however, as he is said to fear for his life and has requested an armed body guard.
Former ÍBV player experienced racism in Iceland - "It was a mistake to come to Iceland"
Former ÍBV player Tonny Mawejje says he experienced racism while in Iceland and that he regrets coming to the country.
This was reported in an interview with Tonny in the Ugandan media outlet Daily Monitor.
Tonny recently joined Uganda Police FC, a team in the Ugandan top division.
Tonny discusses various subjects in his interview with the Daily Monitor, including his time in Iceland, where he played with ÍBV, Valur and Þróttur.
"When I came to Iceland, I didn't play centre like I'm used to.
The team captain played that position and he also had the shirt number that I wanted so I got neither of the things I wanted," says Tonny, who played as a right winger during his season with ÍBV.
Among the subjects discussed by Tonny is the racism he experienced in Iceland.
He says that this is a problem experienced by many black players when they play in Europe.
"This happened to me once but as I didn't understand the language, I just ignored what was said to me.
I heard about it later and asked my friend what this thing was about.
Then he told me that my opponent had made racist remarks about me after I tackled him."
In 2014, Tonny left Iceland for Norway, where he joined Haugesund.
He says that it was there that he made the mistake that he regrets the most.
Tonny had not been able to get on the starting team at Haugesund but he wanted to play more to get on the national team.
He then asked to return to Iceland on loan, after which he joined Valur.
"It was a mistake to return to Iceland on loan.
I think that if I would have stayed in Norway, I would have gotten the opportunity I wanted," says Tonny, who hoped that if he played well in Norway, he would probably go further.
He claims that his loan to Iceland destroyed his dream of joining a major European team.
Found a worm in a woman's neck
Doctors at the St. Luke's International Hospital in Tokyo discovered a 3.8 cm long black worm in the tonsil of a woman who sought treatment there.
The doctors were able to pull the worm out with pliers.
Tests showed that this was a parasite.
CNN reported this.
The woman had eaten sashimi, which is thin slices of meat, a few days earlier.
The woman recovered quickly when the worm had been removed. Parasites such as this are often found in raw meat or fish.
Since the advent of sushi in the West, cases of parasites in people have increased, according to CNN.
Fear that another wave is starting in Europe
Spain is now the focal point of concerns about a second wave of coronavirus infections in Europe, with authorities there taking measures to contain the new spread of coronavirus.
In Catalonia, all nightlife has been put on hold for two weeks, but Barcelona is not the only city where infections are on the rise.
Other European countries have also taken measures to respond to the increase in infections in Spain: in the UK, all travellers returning from Spain must be quarantined, as is the case in Norway, and French citizens have been advised against travelling to Spain.
Infections are also increasing again in France and Germany, where authorities are trying to find a balance between containing the spread of the virus and getting the economy going again.
However, the state of things in Europe is good compared to other parts of the world, with close to 300,000 daily infections worldwide, mostly in the Americas and South Asia.
Confirmed infections across the world have now reached 16 million, according calculations from Johns Hopkins University, and confirmed deaths connected to the virus have reached 644 thousand.
Gerður's mosaic will finally come into its own
There is a big and deep hole in front of the Customs House in Reykjavik.
In it are men with orange helmets.
There is also a big excavator there.
And other smaller machines.
The road is closed for traffic.
But the pavement is clear and many people now stop there to observe artwork made from millions of mosaic tiles  — like they have never seen it before.
Perhaps they never have seen it before.
At least not observed it.
The mural has been relatively hidden until now, right in front of it were parking spaces that were in constant demand.
People parked there, quickly locked their car and then rushed to perform their errands in the city centre.
"Lively and diverse public spaces" and "an attractive urban environment" are the guiding themes in the renovation of Tryggvagata that is currently underway.
The aim is to beautify the area and make Gerður Helgadóttir's mosaic on the Customs House more prominent.
There will be a square in front of the mural, and the site is considered well suited as a leisure area for pedestrians due to its advantageous sunlight position.
The mural will be illuminated, enabling a better appreciation of the material on this 142 square metre surface.
The site will also have small "fog sprinklers", a kind of water sculptures that provide an opportunity for play and lend the place a certain mystical air.
This is how the renovations are described by the City of Reykjavik, which is responsible for the project, along with Veitur.
Cold water, hot water and electrical utilities will be renewed.
Many of these are getting on in age, with the sewage and cold water pipelines dating from the year 1925, thus having served residents and businesses in the city centre for close to a century.
Cars will again be able to drive on the road when it will be reopened following the end of the construction project.
It will be a one-way street, however, which will also create a more tranquil and accessible space for pedestrians.
According to the information on the Customs House on the Directorate of Custom's website, the building, by architect Gísli Halldórsson, was taken into use in 1971.
As a dock warehouse extended through the building, there was a 250 square metre windowless wall surface facing the street.
The building committee and architect agreed that such a surface would have a negative effect on the overall look of the street if special measures were not made to decorate the building.
The parties therefore agreed to assume that permanent artwork would be installed there.
Gerður Helgadóttir had a great reputation as an artist during this period, according to the summary.
She had been heavily involved in making mosaics in Germany and other places.
A decision was made to contact her first, before deciding whether a competition for the project would be held.
It had often been noted that the artwork would have to reflect life at the harbour, as the harbour had been Reykjavik's lifeline ever since it was built.
When the artist was contacted, she was immediately captivated by the task.
It was agreed that she would receive drawings and other assistance before leaving the country again to work on the proposals abroad.
Gerður was given the time that she herself decided she needed and upon her return home, she submitted several proposals for discussion.
It was agreed without delay to ask her to carry out the task.
A request was also made to make a comprehensive agreement with her and the famous German art company Oidtmann Brothers, Gerður's long-time collaborators in installing renowned works of art all over Europe.
An agreement was reached, and Gerður prepared the mural for installation at the workshop of the brothers, who then oversaw the installation on the Customs House.
All the work was exceptionally well carried out, both by Gerður Helgadóttir and the Oidtmann Brothers, says the summary.
The mural has been able to withstand the harsh Icelandic climate ever since.
It took Gerður about two years to complete her mural, which was prepared and installed in the years 1972 and 1973.
The artist died two years after completing her Customs House mural, only 47-years old.
Prepares to relocate more agencies outside the capital area
Ásmundur Einar Daðason, Minister of Social Affairs, declares that more government agencies will be relocated outside the capital area in the near future.
The Minister said this on the programme Sprengisandur on Bylgjan at noon today.
It was recently announced that the Fire Department of the Housing and Construction Authority will be relocated to Sauðárkrókur this autumn.
The Authority employs six fire safety experts, but none of them intend to move to the north of the country along with the Authority, and the National Association of Firefighters and Ambulance Workers has criticised the relocation.
"I think we should take further steps in this direction.
I'm preparing further steps in this direction.
More relocations," said Ásmundur.
He says he is convinced that a vast majority of the nation wants to see government agencies distributed more widely around the country.
"I think that there have to be more political decisions to relocate government jobs to rural areas, like I just did with the Housing and Construction Authority," said Ásmundur, who also named examples of other institutions that have been relocated outside the capital area and were of great importance to the rural communities, such as the relocation of the Icelandic Food and Veterinary Authority to Selfoss, the National Land Survey of Iceland to Akranes and the Unemployment Insurance Payment Office to Skagaströnd.
All main news from the second day of the Championships
The 94th Icelandic Track and Field Championships were concluded at Þór Field in Akureyri today.
Several tournament records were set on the second day of competition.
An exciting competition in the women's hammer throw at Þór Field was expected, as in 2014, FH's Vigdís Jónsdóttir set an Icelandic hammer throw record that remained until ÍR's Elísabet Rut Rúnarsdóttir broke the record in May of last year.
Vigdís reclaimed her Icelandic record earlier this summer and has been in fantastic form recently, improving her Icelandic record three times since the beginning of summer.
Elísabet Rut has been suffering from injuries and did not achieve good results today.
She had only one valid throw in five attempts, throwing the hammer 25.69 metres, which is far from her best.
Vigdís had the longest throw today, or 60.08 metres in her last attempt, which was also a tournament record.
The Icelandic record she set earlier in July was 62.69 metres so she was quite far from matching that.
ÍR's Guðrún Karítas Hallgrímsdóttir had the second best throw of the day, improving on her best result with a 50.18 metre throw.
In the men's event, FH's Hilmar Örn Jónsson, who holds the Icelandic hammer throw record, won comfortably with a throw of 73.84 metres in his next to last attempt, thereby setting a tournament record.
His Icelandic record in the discipline is 75.26 metres.
Guðni Valur Guðnason, Olympic competitor and holder of the Icelandic discus record, won the shot put competition at Þór Field yesterday, but today he competed in the discus event, which is his main discipline.
Guðni Valur's Icelandic record is 65.53 metres but his best throw today was 59.13 metres, which secured his victory.
Valdimar Hjalti Erlendsson had the second longest throw today, his single valid throw, which landed him in second place, 49.43 metres.
Hafdís Sigurðardóttir, holder of the Icelandic long jump record, won the long jump event today by a wide margin with her longest jump of 6.25 metres, which is just under 40 cm from her Icelandic record.
In the women's 200-metre dash, ÍR's Guðbjörg Jóna Bjarnadóttir proved to be the fastest, reaching the finishing line in 24.04 seconds, with her Icelandic record in the discipline being 23.45 seconds.
Guðbjörg Jóna was victorious in Akureyri, winning two gold medals yesterday, in the 100-metre dash and the 4 x 100-metre relay race, as well as in the 4 x 400-metre relay race today.
In the men's event, FH's Kolbeinn Höður Gunnarsson was first in the 200-metre dash, coming in at 21.57 seconds, 0.3 seconds before Ármann's Óliver Máni Samúelsson.
Like Guðbjörg Jóna, Kolbeinn secured the gold in the 100-metre dash yesterday, as well as in the 400-metre dash.
Will not be fined for ISK 27 million Bitcoin harvesting
The State Internal Revenue Board has rejected a claim from the Director of Tax Investigations demanding that a man be fined for underreporting capital income from sales of the cryptocurrency Bitcoin.
The Board concludes that the Director of Tax Investigations has not provided clear arguments for the necessity of fining the man.
According to the Board's ruling, the Director of Tax Investigations believed that the man had filed materially false tax statements for the income years of 2016 and 2017.
He was said to have underreported financial income from sales of the cryptocurrency Bitcoin amounting to ISK 27 million, either intentionally or due to gross negligence.
The man should consequently be fined for his conduct.
The man rejected this in a letter to the Board.
He did, however, admit to selling cryptocurrency for ISK 27 million in 2016.
He said that he acquired this cryptocurrency through mining in the years 2009 and 2010, at a time when this could be done both easily and inexpensively with an ordinary home computer.
He also pointed out that when he sold the cryptocurrency, the administration of taxes for such sales was highly ambiguous and unpredictable.
Members of the general public could hardly have been expected to be aware of such arrangements in their tax statement.
He said that he did not intend to avoid paying taxes on his harvesting and that he had reported his asset in the statement as a deposit in a currency account.
He had asked both experts and the Directorate of Internal Revenue about the arrangement for this but to no avail.
He furthermore believed that the fact that he was neither born nor raised in Iceland, and had only lived here for a few years when he began mining for Bitcoin, must be taken into account.
That meant that he was in a worse position than others to familiarise himself with complex rules on which the tax authorities had not formed a clear opinion.
The man therefore considered it appropriate for his taxes for these two income years to be reassessed and a surcharge applied, but that no other penalties should be imposed.
He reiterated that he worked in Iceland and had paid taxes in this country since 2012.
He had never intended to shirk his responsibilities by improper means.
The fine that was demanded was completely out of proportion and would plunge him into debt.
Brynjólfur creates a stir: "This man understands what football is all about"
Brynjólfur Andersen Willumsson has been the subject of much talk, but also admiration for his conduct this season with Breiðablik in the Pepsi Max League.
Breiðablik will be in the line of fire tonight, when they host ÍA in a match broadcast live on Stöð 2 Sport.
Brynjólfur will be banned from playing, due to his four yellow cards during the season, so he won't arrive for the match with a new haircut, like he has done until now at this summer's matches.
He had "bla, bla, bla" written on his head for the match against HK last Thursday, which HK won, 1-0.
"I don't know exactly who he was answering with that haircut, but speaking of character, this one was certainly making an effort during the match.
He didn't hide.
He wants the ball every single time, and if someone was going to score an equalizer in this game, I thought that he would do it or do it or create it," said Guðmundur Benediktsson in the Pepsi Max Discussion when the talk turned to Brynjólfur.
"I'm supposed to be here for the people."
"It's sometimes difficult to see what position he's playing.
He tends to go a little to the left as the games progress, but he has a very free role within the team," said Hjörvar Hafliðason.
Þorkell Máni Pétursson says that Brynjólfur is a real entertainer and is glad to see such a colourful man in the league: "No one disputes that he's a character.
He's a fun type and I love the thing about the hair and always being prepared to show up and answer for himself in interviews.
Incredibly many people are preoccupied by him, which tells me that this man understands what football is about.
"I'm an entertainer.
I'm supposed to be here for the people and enjoy it."
People are reading interviews with Brynjólfur, paying admission and waiting to see what his hair will say next.
This man is simply a genius," said Máni.
KR player says he wants to leave the club - "I have been in contact with several B-division teams"
Tobias Thomsen, who plays with KR in the Pepsi Max League, seems to be leaving the team.
According to Danish news outlet Bold, Tobias is ready to return to Denmark.
Fótbolti.net also reported this.
Tobias wants to catch the start of the season in his home country but in order to do that, he must first terminate his contract with KR, as the Danish league begins before the Icelandic league concludes.
The club knows that I miss Denmark and has been very understanding with me," said Tobias in an interview with Bold.
I have been in contact with several B-division teams and will probably make the switch before the end of the Icelandic season.
Not many teams in Denmark can afford to buy up my contract with KR."
He adds that he will probably have to take a pay cut in Denmark.
"Danish clubs have probably felt more economic effects from the virus than Icelandic ones."
Bicycle whisperer Bjartmar has recovered bicycles worth millions - now defends himself after DV's report
For over a year, Bjartmar Leósson has had a hobby unlike most others.
He finds and rescues lost and stolen bicycles, electric bikes and scooters.
Due to this, Bjartmar has been called the "bicycle whisperer".
There was quite a commotion yesterday, however, when a man published an account of his interactions with Bjartmar.
DV referred to a discussion in a Facebook group for residents in West Reykjavik where Bjartmar was reported to have approached the man on Austurvöllur and said that his scooter was possibly stolen.
The original post from the man on the electric scooter seemed to say that Bjartmar had accused him of theft.
This text has now been edited on Facebook and the headline of DV's original report has been updated accordingly.
Bjartmar says that the original reports of the matter were in no way indicative of what actually transpired at Austurvöllur yesterday.
Bjartmar said that he received information from the victim of an electric scooter theft that this was certainly his electric scooter.
This was information that the alleged owner received from someone else, but this information turned out to be wrong, says Bjartmar.
"I saw the guy and the scooter was familiar to me, as I had information that this was an electric scooter that had been missing and searched for for a very long time.
I was certainly hesitant at first, but when I saw him prepare to drive away on the scooter, I decided to take the plunge and talk to the man.
The owner was certain in his belief so I decided to have a conversation with the man.
I'm generally very subtle in such matters, but before I could finish what I had to say, the man had interrupted me."
Bjartmar says that the man on the electric scooter immediately offered to show him the receipt for the scooter and called the police himself.
"Yes, great," said Bjartmar, "let's just get this sorted."
The owner of the electric scooter eventually proved his ownership and rode away.
Later, the actual owner of the electric scooter told his story on Facebook, as was detailed in the previous report.
In the more than a year that Bjartmar has been doing this, he says he can count on the fingers of one hand the times he got into altercations with people.
"I have had peaceful interactions with Reykjavik's most difficult men," said Bjartmar and points out that in the vast majority of cases, bicycle thieves are society's most vulnerable brothers and sisters, addicts, people with mental disorders and people who are on the street for some reason.
"Addiction is a merciless taskmaster, the next fix must be funded somehow and unfortunately, stealing these kinds of movable properties is an easy way to reach that goal," says Bjartmar.
"In fact, my interactions with these people are actually so good that many of these good people are now on my side.
There are examples of people going to rehab and straightening themselves out and then coming to me to assist me in what I'm doing," he says.
He says that his interactions with cyclists are generally polite.
Some are aware of him and what he's doing and volunteer peacefully to show him receipts, bicycle frame numbers, etc.
Bicycle theft is a big problems that has been little reported, he says.
Bjartmar adds that the police is even beginning to advise people to talk to him about stolen bicycles.
Bjartmar is displeased with DV's previous reporting and says that he not some kind of vigilante on a personal quest for justice.
When asked whether he isn't going too far in his activities, and whether this is not first and foremost the role of the police, Bjartmar says that that is certainly the case.
"Of course the cops should do this, but the fact of the matter is that the cops are simply not tending to this.
I have seen policemen drive away from a large pile of stolen bicycles, for example.
They are completely useless in these matters, to tell you the truth."
"When the cops aren't doing anything about this, and it's just right in front of you and experience has shown that I can get results in these cases, then why not?" asks Bjartmar.
He says that he has been so successful in finding lost bicycles that sometimes when he has run into his "protégés" on the street, they have simply handed the bicycles that they had snatched over to Bjartmar.
In the instances when Bjartmar has requested assistance from the police, they have sometimes simply not shown up.
"It's just not working with the police, and it's not my fault and it's not the fault of the bicycle owners," said Bjartmar, who is sorry that victims of bicycle theft have to suffer the disinterest of police when it comes to this issue.
Bjartmar's success rate is undisputable.
Stories from people thanking Bjartmar for retrieving their properties are rampant.
Bjartmar himself says that he has long ago lost count of the bicycles that he has returned, but that the amounts are probably in the millions, if not the tens of millions.
That is largely due to electric scooters, e-bikes and mobility scooters, with electric bikes sometimes costing up to half a million.
Bjartmar works at a preschool during the day and at a group home every other weekend.
His search for bicycles is therefore unpaid work that he undertakes in his spare time.
Pension funds and long shadows
2019 was a major anniversary year in the history of Icelandic pension funds.
Public officials had in fact received a pension from the King of Denmark ever since the 19th century, but 1919 saw the founding of a pension fund for public officials, which eventually became a pension fund for all public-sector employees.
The foundations for the present-day pension funds for general wage earners were laid with the collective wage agreements on the labour market in 1969, which provided for fully funded mandatory occupational pension funds from the beginning of 1970.
In 1974, laws were established on the basis of these agreements, after which the pension fund system continued to strengthen.
A pension fund system for wage earners was not the only radical change that the 20th century labour movement enforced through its fight for improved employment conditions.
Unemployment insurance had been secured by similar means in the historic strike of 1955, and the movement gradually also achieved its demands for sickness rights and sickness funds, significant vacation rights, reduced working hours, improved housing and other such important matters.
All these rights were the result of a long and difficult struggle but proved, in retrospect, to be a much more significant and permanent improvement of employment terms than adding a few coins to the pay envelope, which were immediately lost to the inflation that characterised the post-war period until 1990, as many will remember.
The backstory to the founding of general pension funds in 1969 is both long and complex.
Although it was eventually agreed that the funds would in fact be owned by the fund members, the labour movement had to agree to the boards of the funds being composed of an equal number of representatives of employers and fund members.
In the years following the establishment of the funds, the demand for a majority of workers on the boards of the funds was often discussed in employees' organisations but never became an actuality, so we are still stuck with the unnatural arrangement of fund member representatives not being in the majority on the boards of the funds.
Article 36 of Act no. 129/1997 on Mandatory Pension Insurance and on the Activities of Pension Funds pertains to the investment policy of the funds.
According to Item 1, "a pension fund must be guided by the interests of fund members".
Item 5 furthermore reads: "A pension fund must establish ethical criteria for its investments."
The shareholder policy of the Pension Fund of Commerce includes the following provisions, following the aforementioned legal provisions:
The Pension Fund is a signatory of the UN Principles for Responsible Investment (UN PRI), as are many of the largest pension funds and institutional investors in North America and Europe.
These principles discuss how emphasis on social and environmental issues, together with good corporate governance, can improve returns on investment portfolios.
In this manner the interests of investors and the objectives of society in a broader perspective go hand in hand.
LV considers it important for companies, especially those publicly listed on an equity market, to adopt official policies on practising good corporate governance, remuneration, social responsibility and environment issues.
Gildi Pension Fund, which is among Iceland's biggest funds, has established a "policy on responsible investments" which includes provisions of a similar nature.
All this is recollected here as an introduction to the latest buzz word in Icelandic, "shadow direction".
As the word is a new one in the language, it has understandably not been fully defined, but it seems to me like the following definition is currently the "most popular pick": Shadow direction is when a trade union leader proclaims in the media that they will give the union's representatives on the board of a pension fund recommendations or instructions on what position to take on a particular matter.
Failure to follow the recommendation would result in dismissal from the board at the first opportunity.
However, this is not "shadow direction" if the leader does not take this to the media or talk about dismissal, as such communications between people are of course common in the financial world, like elsewhere.
I leave it to the reader to decide which method is more "shadowy".
At the time of writing, on the morning of Saturday, 25 July 2019, there are mainly two men who have tried to shape this definition.
They are Hörður Ægisson, reporter at Fréttablaðið, and Central Bank Governor Ásgeir Jónsson.
For both of them, the motive arose when Bogi Nils Bogason, CEO of Icelandair, had told of his intention to terminate the company's agreements with airline hostesses and flight attendants (dismiss them), and Ragnar Þór Ingólfsson, Chairman of VR, recommended that the union's representatives on the board of the Pension Fund of Commerce refrained from supporting any purchase of the company's shares by the fund, or else they may be made to step down.
Some time later, Bogi Nils withdrew his decision and Ragnar Þór subsequently did the same with his recommendation, which was of course based on Bogi's decision.
Hörður and Ásgeir nevertheless saw reason to expound on the matter in Fréttablaðið's Friday edition, using big words on shadow direction, illegal acts and the urgent need for legal amendments.
This was truly a molehill that was to be made into a mountain, even though the molehill in question was conditional as well as being quickly removed.
Finally, let's consider the subject itself, as it is an important one.
Above, I noted the provisions of the Pension Fund Act that pertain to this issue.
They say that the boards of pension funds are obliged to protect the interests of fund members and have ethical investment criteria, and these provisions are further elaborated in the Articles of Association of both Gildi and the Pension Fund of Commerce, as I have noted.
On the other hand, pension fund are NOT supposed to only consider short-term profitability in their investments.
In fact, such a policy would be very dangerous, and one would not have to look long for such examples in the past, where big loans from banks and funds have gone to unethical speculators and environmental polluters, with terrible consequences.
The CEO of Icelandair was obviously on thin ice when he got the idea to wipe out an entire group of employees, thus significantly reducing the goodwill that the company has enjoyed in the Icelandic market and weakening its position towards investors.
Fortunately, he reconsidered and reversed this.
Time will tell whether that will be enough, when all is said and done, for pension fund investment in the company to be considered responsible towards the fund members.
The author is a former professor of physics and science history.
One of those infected did not observe return hygiene measures
One of the three diagnosed with Covid-19 in the country yesterday arrived from a Baltic state on 15 July, about one and a half weeks ago.
He is Icelandic but not a permanent resident here so he did not receive clear instructions about observing the so-called return hygiene measures after coming to the country by being tested again a few days after arrival.
His screening at the border produced negative results.
"But he is in Icelandic society and actually should have used that remedy," says Kamilla Jósepsdóttir, expert at the Directorate of Health's Disease Prevention Department and acting Chief Epidemiologist during the latter's summer vacation, in an interview with Fréttablaðið today.
"He used the English registration form, where it is not required to record your identification number, and if the identification number is not recorded, you are not automatically summoned to be tested for the second time."
She says that the man was able to use the English registration form because he does in fact reside abroad, but because of his contact network in Iceland, as an Icelander, he should rather have used the Icelandic one.
He did not realise this, however.
"When the identification number is not registered, you have to request the second test yourself.
Neither he nor his employer seem to have realised that this was the right thing to do," says Kamilla.
"It is therefore clear that we have to provide more information on this while we find some way to make an automatic summoning system despite Icelanders not registering their identification number.
Or somehow making it more obvious who are participants in Icelandic society in the registration system," she explains.
Fortunately, the man in question was not in contact with many people when he came to the country despite being defined as a participant in Icelandic society, being Icelandic.
Only six have been quarantined since he was diagnosed yesterday, and all six were in contact with him.
They have yet be tested but two are beginning to show symptoms of Covid-19 infection.
The man tested negative when tested at the border on 15 July.
Kamilla says that he was probably so recently infected by the virus that it could not yet be detected in him when the sample was taken at the border.
However, she does not want to rule out that the man was infected here in Iceland rather than bringing the virus with him to the country.
"You can't claim with absolute certainty that this is definitely an imported infection as it's been so long since he came to the country that he could have been exposed here, like the two people who have caused a little stir in connection with the sports tournaments."
She says that this is highly unlikely, however, because of how few people the man was in contact with here.
"It's actually highly unlikely," says Kamilla but notes that it can't be ruled out until deCode Genetics have completed their sequence analysis of the man's virus.
"If we get a type of virus that has not been seen here before, it is almost certain that he brought it to the country."
Pepper spray and bombs used on protesters
Police and protesters clashed in Seattle last night.
The police used pepper spray and non-lethal hand grenades on protesters while protesters broke windows and set fires.
45 protesters were arrested and 21 police officers were injured.
There were many protests against police brutality and racism all over the United States last night, with the Seattle protests being held in support of protesters in Portland, Oregon.
In Austin, Texas, one protester was shot to death.
The shooter has been arrested, according to the BBC.
In Seattle, thousands gathered for a peaceful protest.
A group of people then set fire to a construction site and broke windows in the city's courthouse.
The police subsequently said that the protests were a riot, and there were clashes between groups of protesters and the police.
Demand Justice Protesters in Aurora, Colorado commemorated Elijah McClain, a 23-year old Black man murdered by police in August of last year.
A car drove through a crowd of protesters in the city but no one was hurt.
In Louisville, Kentucky, hundreds of members of the Black National Guard gathered to demand justice for Breonna Taylor, a 26-year old Black woman who was murdered by police in her home in March of this year.
The group was armed with firearms and marched to a closed interseciton, where police separated the group from a group of people who were protesting the protests and also carried firearms.
75 were also arrested in Omaha, Nebraska, where protesters commemorated James Scurlock, a 22-year old Black man who was murdered by a white bar owner in May.
Solskjær: Not the match that will define our season
Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjær does not want to make too much of the importance of today's match against Leicester in the final round of the English Premier League.
If United loses, and Chelsea does not lose against the Wolves, Solskjær and his men will end up in fifth place, thus losing their Champions League spot.
They would still have some hope of reaching the Champions League, however, by winning the Europa League next month.
"We have not reached the end point.
If we pick up a point against Leicester, I think people will say that we did not have such a bad season," said Solskjær.
"But whatever happens, this is not the end of our journey because we are still some way off from catching the two teams above us," said Solskjær.
it is obvious that people will be on edge at three o'clock today, but Solskjær tried to pretend that this was like any other match.
"If you want to be a part of Manchester United, you have to get used to being under pressure in the last game of the season.
This is nothing new, and this is what the club is based on.
We have created an excellent opportunity to end the season on a high and now it's up to us to use it," said Solskjær.
"It's not the most important match of the season, it's just the next match.
You can ask anyone in football, the next match is always the most important.
Results don't define our season, we have already had many moments that define this season."
"The arrival of Bruno Fernandes changed a lot for us and I think that on the whole, we are in better form and much stronger mentally than last season," said Solskjær.
65,000 infections in 24 hours
65,490 new coronavirus infections were diagnosed in the United States yesterday, according to John Hopkins University.
A total of 4,178,021 infections have been confirmed in the US since the beginning of the pandemic there.
900 people died from the virus yesterday but for the four days prior to that, there were over 1,000 fatalities due to the virus each day.
A total of 146,460 deaths from the virus have been confirmed in the United States.
According to CNN’s report, the prediction model developed by US health authorities expects deaths from the virus to have reached 175,000 by 15 August.
Fear another wave of the pandemic
Spanish authorities are doing what little they can to prevent the further spread of COVID—19 in the country.
Spanish health authorities reported over 920 new cases of COVID—19 on both Thursday and Friday.
There have not been more cases in a single day since early May, with these reports coming at the same time as Spain begins lifting one of Europe's strictest curfew restrictions.
Because of this backlash, UK authorities now require passengers arriving from Spain to be quarantined upon their return.
A week earlier, Spain was on the UK's list of safe countries.
One of the places most affected by the situation is Catalonia in Northeastern Spain, where authorities have enacted more widespread measures to try to curb the spread.
In the capital of Catalonia, clubs will be closed for the next two weeks and bars will have to close at midnight.
A curfew is also currently in effect for the 200,000 residents of the county of Segria in West Catalonia.
It is believed that the UK's decision will have a negative effect on the Spanish economy, which relies to a large extent on foreign tourists and is in bad shape from the pandemic.
Tui, the UK's largest travel agency, cancelled all flights to Spain and the Canary Islands that were scheduled today.
Authorities all over the world are said to be preparing for the second wave of the pandemic, but there seems to be little interest in reinstating extensive curfews, which have devastated the economy in many places.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, for example, has reacted very negatively to such ideas, comparing them to a nuclear weapon that he does not want to use.
French Prime Minister Jean Castex has also said that the nation "would not survive, economically or socially" if nationwide curfews would be reinstated.
Many officials hope that local measures extending to the residents of individual towns, cities or regions will be enough to contain the virus in the event of another round.
Five new infections in Iceland - three domestic
Three domestic infections were diagnosed yesterday, as well as two more at the border.
Thus, five individuals tested positive for Covid-19 in Iceland yesterday.
According to a Civil Protection announcement, one infection is connected to the infection reported at the ReyCUP football tournament yesterday.
The individual in question has been placed in isolation and sixteen people who were in close contact with him were quarantined.
The infected individual took part in the activities of a sport club in Reykjavik and "only a part of the sports team" is in quarantine, according to the announcement.
Others who were quarantined have other connections to the man.
The source of this infection has not been found and the infection is currently being traced by the National Commissioner of Police's tracing team.
Organisers of the ReyCUP tournament have complied with the guidelines and rules from the Chief Epidemiologist and Department of Civil Protection that are still in effect, and appropriate measures have been made.
Photos from the tournament, showing people celebrating the success of their team in very close contact out on the field, also drew attention yesterday.
Just before 11 o'clock, the organisers of the tournament published the following announcement on their Facebook page.
It reads: "NOTE: Parents are please asked to respect the rule of participants fetching their thing from the school themselves.
Parents are NOT allowed to do it.
Thank you for your understanding."
Another infection was diagnosed yesterday, but that infection is connected to an infection reported the day before yesterday.
The announcement says: "deCode Genetics has performed a sequence analysis of the infections, which has revealed a new type of virus that has not been detected here before."
Tracing of that infection is also underway, and the infected individual is in isolation and 12 are in quarantine because of the infection.
The third infection is with a man who came to Iceland 11 days ago, on 15 July.
He was diagnosed in the southwest corner of the country.
That man is now in isolation and six people who were in close contact with him are in quarantine.
Two of them are already beginning to show symptoms of a viral infection.
In addition, two were diagnosed at the border and the results of further examinations are pending, as provided for in the procedures for infections at the border.
Finally, the announcement reads: The Civil Protection Department of the National Commissioner of Police and the Directorate of Health remind everyone to be careful and follow individual disease prevention measures carefully.
If there is the slightest chance of Covid-19 symptoms being present, the individual in question is asked to undergo testing at the nearest healthcare centre.
Patreksfjörður says campsite is fully booked on bank holiday weekend - directs visitors elsewhere
The campsite in Patreksfjörður is fully booked for the weekend, according to a notification from Vesturbyggð.
Visitors are advised to consider other accommodation options.
Vesturbyggð names Bíldudalur, Tálknafjörður, Melanes at Rauðasandur, Hótel Flókalundur and Hótel Breiðavík as other potential choices.
There is plenty going on in Patreksfjörður during this weekend as like in previous years, the Icelandic documentary film festival Skjaldborg will be held in the town.
The festival has been held since 2007 so it has become a strong tradition in the town.
Judging from the campsite demand, good attendance can be expected this year if the weather doesn't spoil things, with DV reporting earlier today that the forecast is awful.
However, the worst weather is expected to be to the south and there is hope for the residents of Patreksfjörður.
The website bb.is first reported this, and said that all other accommodations in town were already fully booked.
A whole apartment building rotting away in the best part of town
Romanian workers live for free at Dunhagi 18-20.
Meanwhile, the owners want a construction licence to make renovations, but their request has been stuck in the system for more than two years.
In one of Reykjavik's oldest, most established and most expensive neighbourhoods stands a stately three-storey apartment building.
The ground floor has approximately 600 square metres of commercial space.
The backside of the building has two doors to stairwells, each of which provides access to four rather grand apartments.
They range in size from 93 to 130 square metres, although most of them are over 100.
The building has a considerable history.
It was built in 1959 and former activities there include a video rental shop, shoemaker, milk shop, gunsmith, fishmonger and, most recently, University Printing.
The house has seen better days, to put it mildly.
The building is now subject to extensive damage, as can be seen in the accompanying photos.
The house is owned by D18 ehf.
According to the Company Register, D18 ehf.'s owners include Magnús Magnússon and Guðrún Helga Lárusdóttir.
Magnús was at the forefront of Borgun's group of owners and was the spokesman for the holding company Borgun.
Among the owners of the holding company Borgun is Stálskip ehf.
Stálskip ehf. is the investment company of Guðrún Helga Lárusdóttir and her children.
Guðrún also owns a one-third share of D18 ehf.
Guðrún and her husband, Ágúst Guðmundur Sigurðsson, once operated the fishing enterprise Stálskip.
D18 ehf. bought the house in the summer of 2009 and little or no maintenance work has been done on it since then.
Neighbours say that since then, the condition of the building has deteriorated steadily, but mostly in recent years.
On a Facebook page for residents of the neighbourhood, one resident says that the house has "not been particularly lively in the last few years."
The fact that the owners have, for several years, sought to alter the building and the lot may play a part in this.
Other neighbours say that the building has not been in acceptable condition for a long time.
The time has long come to do something proper with this spot, and its unfortunate that there has been such a delay."
He also says that he is ticked off at the owners of the building for not having made the effort to complete this thing, to find some common ground with the neighbours of the building and stop this "legal back-and-forth".
"Just do it in consultation with the surrounding community so this can be done quickly and completed."
The "legal back-and-forth" that the neighbour refers to is the planning process for the lot, which has been ongoing since at least 2017.
That was when the owners of Dunhagi 18 and 20 sought permission to add a storey to the current apartment building and build, behind the building, a new elevator shaft and single-storey annex, as well as a basement.
The construction licence issued for this project was appealed to the Ruling Committee on the Environment and Natural Resources, which cancelled the licence as the construction project did not have a basis in the land use plan and the hearing notification procedure was not satisfactory.
The City of Reykjavik then commenced land-use planning work, which concluded with a notice in the Government Gazette in July of last year.
That plan was also appealed and the Commission invalidated it in March of 2020.
At this point, almost three years had passed from the original application for a construction licence, and the owners of the building were back on square one.
The building had deteriorated considerably during that time, and the neighbours were getting weary.
When DV asked the neighbours about the condition of the building and their response, the answers were varied.
Some could understand the intentions of the owners of the house, others not at all.
Some directed their anger towards city authorities, others did not.
Others were just angry. not necessarily with anyone in particular.
Then there were those who said that the parking spaces were a cause of contention, as neighbours have used the unused parking spaces at Dunhagi 18-20 for their own vehicles.
One complainant in the matter said that they were long tired of the administrative system:
"It's incredible that we would have to go through the process three times.
It's like the City of Reykjavik can't read."
Today, the house is empty, abandoned and neglected.
A testament to cumbersome city administration and the noble intentions of the owners and their many years of work, which is now back on square one.
This reporter was met with wide open doors and piles of garbage upon arrival at Dunhagi 18.
A Playstation console and a newish television lay surrounded by other waste on the floor — victims of Icelandic summer precipitation.
The doors to the old University Print office was open and there was quite a lot of cats there, judging from the smell of urine.
Someone has obviously made a spot for themselves in one of the corners, but no one can be seen.
There were stacks of sofas and beds and a few pallets of pages on geology, which were undoubtedly intended to become a book.
The stairwells of the apartment building were also open and there were signs of life in both of them.
The reporter was so lucky as to meet the residents of one.
They were Romanians who were boiling a potato dish for dinner and invited the journalist to step inside.
The Romanians work for the temporary agency Ztrongforce ehf.
They have been there for some time and according to DV's sources, the company has not paid anything for the housing except heat and electricity.
It is not considered acceptable to collect rent, due to the condition of the building.
Judging from the stacks of mail in the lobby, it is obvious that a number of foreign workers have lived there recently.
The operations of temporary agencies have not been unaffected by the Covid-19 situation, as the recession in tourism has resulted in a recession in the construction industry, and these two industries have been among the ones that have made the most use of the services of temporary agencies.
The residents of Dunhagi 18 nevertheless seemed to have plenty to do, and their work overalls and gloves were hanging to dry in the communal area after a long day of work in the rain.
It should be noted that despite the awful state of the building, the apartment shared by the boys seemed to be decently maintained.
When the journalist said goodbye to the Romanian boys, he became suddenly aware of the irony: In a prime spot in Reykjavik stands a 1,500 square metre property in disrepair.
The owners want to change and improve the building and the neighbours want the situation to improve but they disagree on the definition of "improvement".
Caught in between is the City's planning department, back on square one, the victim of endless means of appeals and complaints in the planning process and the Ruling Committee on the Environment and Natural Resources' sluggishness in providing a solution.
And the building is home to Romanian workers, who are perhaps exactly the ones who will go on to improve the situation, once the Icelanders stop squabbling.
The article was originally published in DV's weekend edition on 17 July.
Campaign against obesity following the coronavirus pandemic
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson will allocate 10 million pounds to a campaign against obesity, which will include a ban on fast food advertising, following his serious illness, which was partly due to his weight.
The plan is for Johnson to launch the campaign, which has been named Better Health, tomorrow, Monday. As part of the campaign, doctors will be encouraged to prescribe cycling for their overweight patients and efforts will be made to increase the number of cycling paths.
In addition, television advertising for fast food restaurants will be banned before nine o'clock in the evening, according to British media sources.
"COVID-19 has given us a wake-up call of the immediate and long-term risks of being overweight, and the Prime Minister is clear we must use this time to get healthier, more active and eat more wholesome food," a government spokesperson was quoted as saying.
Johnson himself has had weight problems. He was admitted to an intensive care unit when he caught the coronavirus last spring, and the severity of his illness is believed to be partly due to his weight.
Women better suited to lead the changes
She said that the new constitution was the biggest step that the nation could take towards more distribution of power, transparency and working to combat corruption and further the interests of the whole of society.
"We must shift gears soon and who's better suited to lead such changes than the group in society that finds it easier to be part of these values.
That's women," said Helga.
"Icelandic women are famous for their female solidarity.
For being united and leading changes together.
So now it's simply our turn to lead these changes."
She says that she's a little worried about the focus on Iceland being "best in the world", both in gender equality and human rights.
"That makes us less prepared to examine what must be done.
Like Germans are very aware of their history and examine everything that must be done.
That's a lot.
We must know where we're coming from, know the history and listen.
Listen to the voices of marginalised groups.
We don't all live by the same rules here," said Helga.
When asked, she said that women were in many ways well off in Iceland, but added that like in many other places, values in Iceland are incredibly male-centric.
She said that politics, for example, revolve around private interests, domination and power, which are the forces that maintain inequality in all societies.
"Women have now formed this group and joined together, and they are just getting a little annoyed with the Parliament repeatedly intending to disregard this referendum in 2012," she said.
"We are basing this on these female-centric values.
On the basis of human rights and nature conservation, cooperation and us actually all being in the same boat," she said, adding that the aforementioned values were the basic values of the new constitution.
"We are a country that is very rich in natural resources and it's ridiculous that there are people living in poverty here.
It's ridiculous, we can divide things differently," said Helga.
"The notion of lower wages for women's jobs being some kind of a law of nature is ridiculous.
It's ridiculous for airline hostesses and nurses constantly having to fight for better wages just to be able to earn a decent living."
The signature list for a new constitution can be signed here via Digital Iceland.
Tried to rob a pedestrian in the city centre
A man was arrested in the city centre last night after threatening a pedestrian and trying to get money from him.
The police also stopped the manufacturing of drugs in Árbær, where two were arrested in connection with the case.
Furthermore, the police stopped the driver of a motorcycle in the Hlíðar neighbourhood, as the driver was driving at a speed of 146 km where the speed limit is 60 km/hour.
On top of that, the driver's driving licence had previously been legally removed.
The Reykjavík Metropolitan Police had plenty to do last night, with more than 80 cases recorded in the Police Diary from five o'clock yesterday to five o'clock this morning.
There were unusually many noise complaints due to parties.
Eleven loud parties were reported on the night before Saturday, which was considered a lot in the Police Diary.
Last night, however, 22 noise complaints were made to the police.
Six were detained in a holding cell last night.
Police were called to Árbær last night, where some people were shooting fireworks.
They had fled the scene when policemen arrived, however.
Nine drivers were stopped for driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs.
Four were arrested for fighting in the city centre last night, and one of them was detained in a holding cell.
Two were transported to an emergency ward after falling on their face, one in the city centre and one in the west side of the city.
One was taken to an accident unit after having been injured while jumping on a trampoline in Kópavogur.
Police also stopped the the driver of a vehicle towing a caravan in Kjalarnes yesterday.
The caravan's running gear was, according to the Police Diary, in "very poor condition" so the caravan was detained.
Possible to stay in Monet's house over the bank holiday weekend
The house where Impressionist painter Claude Monet spent the last forty years of his life is now available to rent on the Airbnb website.
The next available nights in the house are during the Bank Holiday Weekend.
This small and charming house is located in the town of Givenry in Normandy, France.
The world-famous painter lived in the house from 1883 until his death in 1926.
The house has three bedrooms, two living rooms and three bathrooms.
Monet was first inspired to paint his famous gardens in this house.
Those who intend to rent the house must rent it for at least two nights.
According to the Airbnb site, the house will be next available in a week, on the Sunday of the Bank Holiday Weekend, so it might be ideal for any tradesmen on holiday to book the painter's house.
The two nights over the Bank Holiday Weekend only cost USD 964, or just over ISK 130 thousand, according to Fréttablaðið's estimation.
Tens of people in quarantine and several of them starting to show symptoms of the disease caused by the coronavirus
Five have been diagnosed with the coronavirus domestically in the last three days and most of those infected are unconnected.
Tens of people are now in quarantine because of this and several of them are beginning to show symptoms of the disease caused by the virus.
Three were diagnosed with the coronavirus domestically and two in border screenings.
An expert at the Directorate of Health says that the growing number of domestic infections does not necessarily mean that the virus is becoming more widespread in the community.
"A sequence analysis of the first domestic infection has been carried out and that was a virus that has not been seen here before, so we have no particular reason to believe that it was undetected in the community for any length of time.
This is probably something that has recently come to the country, but of course we have to be especially vigilant now," said Kamilla Sigríður Jósefsdóttir, expert at the Directorate of Health's Disease Prevention Department.
Most of those infected have been in contact with individuals who came from overseas.
More testing will be conducted soon, but several of those who were in contact with those infected are beginning to show symptoms of the coronavirus.
"There is no influenza going around now and there are fewer other respiratory infections so we can be rather liberal in performing these tests on individuals for whom there would have been considered reason to do something else first during times of influenza," said Kamilla.
Tracing of the infections has mostly been completed but it is not impossible that more will have to be quarantined.
Two of those infected were diagnosed after attending sports events.
This has raised questions of whether it is justifiable to hold such events.
The Communications Director of the Department of Civil Protection says that it's completely possible as long as people comply with guidelines and rules.
Kamilla says that it's practically impossible for those infected to have been infected at the sports tournaments.
"If more people are not isolated as a result of being in contact with these individuals at these sports tournaments, we could argue that our disease prevention measures at the tournaments were effective.
But this is not clear yet," said Kamilla.
The Department of Civil Protection's procedures are constantly being reexamined, she says.
"We have to be ready to intervene with further recommendations or restrictions if there seems to be reason to do so," said Kamilla.
In just over a week, crowd restrictions will be eased to allow one thousand people.
This new situation could have an effect on the easing of restrictions.
Cooking is a kind of meditation - see Elísa Viðars' menu
Elísa Viðarsdóttir is an elite footballer who plays with Valur.
She is also an MA student of nutritional science, a mother and working as a food scientist.
She needs plenty of energy for her day-to-day life and she usually gives herself time to cook good, healthy food.
"A normal day for me begins when I arrive at work at just over eight," says Elísa.
"After work, I go to the store so I can prepare dinner before picking up my girl from preschool at about three o'clock."
Elísa finds it very nourishing to pick her daughter up early from preschool.
"It's good to have some time with her before I go to practice in the afternoon.
After practice, it's good to come home and only have to heat up the food.
In the evenings, when our girl has gone to sleep, we like to watch one episode to clear the mind."
Elísa does not adhere to any particular diet.
She's about to complete her Master's thesis in nutritional science so she's well aware of what is suitable for her to eat in order to have enough energy to tend to her work, studies, family and practice schedule.
"It suits me to eat varied food that has a good combination of proteins, carbohydrates and fat.
But most important for me is to have a healthy relationship with food and not categorise food as being either bad or good, but rather as having much or little nutritional value.
The thing is that it's OK to eat everything, just not all at once and not all the time.
Elísa is very interested in cooking.
"I find that there is a kind of meditation in standing and cooking in the kitchen so I try to do it often.
I have to admit that I have confidence on my side in the kitchen and I sincerely believe that I'm an excellent cook."
Breakfast: Oats, chia seeds, hempseeds, a little lemon juice, soaked in almond milk overnight.
Then I top the meal off with what I have at each time.
Usually it's a banana and crispy muesli & COFFEE.
I'm a great coffee enthusiast.
Between meals: It varies incredibly, but fruits or vegetables, rye flatbread, plain skyr with banana and muesli, bread with toppings, and then I could eat hummus with a spoon straight from the box if necessary.
Lunch: I often make all kinds of rich salads from what's in the refrigerator; quinoa or barley, falafel, rocket and oven-baked vegetables with a tasty dressing are some of the things I'm working with.
If the schedule becomes completely unravelled (which happens frequently), the egg boiler at work has quite often saved me, and then it's 2 pieces of bread with butter, cheese and boiled egg, and Bob's your uncle.
Between meals: I'll get something rich in carbohydrates before practice, bread with toppings, breakfast cereal or fruits.
Dinner: Fish is very often the choice in my household, or else some delicious vegetable dishes.
Police and protesters clash in Seattle
City authorities in Seattle have declared a state of riot following the large protests in the city centre.
Yesterday, the police used stun grenades and pepper spray to attempt to evacuate the large area occupied by protesters, which spread across numerous city blocks close to City Hall.
The police announced on Twitter that at least eleven protesters had been arrested and that an investigation was underway on the damage done to a police station in the city yesterday, possibly with some kind of an explosive.
City and police authorities say that protesters threw rocks, bottles, firecrackers and other loose objects at the police, and one policeman was transferred to a hospital where his wounds were treated.
For a long time up until that point, however, the Seattle protests had been peaceful.
The protests were held as an act of solidarity with protesters in Portland, Oregon, where there have been repeated violent conflicts between protesters and heavily armed troops of FBI agents.
There, like in many other US cities, people gather under the banner of Black Lives Matter, commemorate George Floyd, who was killed by a Minneapolis policeman on 25 May, protest systematic racism in American society and demand reforms.
Not reversed until after the vote
It is still not clear whether the dismissals of Icelandair airline hostesses, which are supposed to enter into effect at the end of this month, will be reversed.
The online voting on the Icelandic Cabin Crew Association's collective wage agreement on behalf of Icelandair airline hostesses will conclude at noon tomorrow.
Association president Guðlaug Líney Jóhannsdóttir says she is convinced that Icelandair will not make a decision on the dismissals until the results of the vote are known.
"This is obviously linked," says Guðlaug Líney.
"No dismissals have been reversed. This must become clear soon so the aeroplanes can be manned.
Of course, people are also anxious to know whether they will have a job next month."
The vote is on an agreement signed a week ago, in the early hours of 19 July.
It is expected to have an effective term until the end of September 2025, and it is based on an agreement previously rejected in a vote by the Cabin Crew Association.
On 17 July, the board and council of the Icelandic Cabin Crew Association decided to suspend all work at Icelandair and the decision was approved in a vote by the members.
This was never done, but the decision was made following Icelandair's decision to suspend negotiations with the Cabin Crew Association, dismiss all its airline hostesses and seek to negotiate with another trade union.
The company's pilots were also meant to take on temporary positions as security officers on board.
When asked how she thinks the vote will go, Guðlaug Líney says it's difficult to say.
"People are hurt after this attack by Icelandair where all the company's airline hostesses were dismissed and it was announced that they would conclude an agreement with another trade union.
It will now become clear whether this has an effect," she says.
940 airline hostesses were employed by Icelandair in late April when 900 of them, about 95%, were dismissed.
Their notice of termination varies. For the ones with the shortest work experience it is three months, so their notice period ends at the end of July/start of August.
About 90% of Icelandair's airline hostesses belong to this group.
What happens next if the agreement is not approved?
"Then we'll request further negotiations with our counterparty.
With this agreement, we are meeting Icelandair's demands.
If it is rejected, the airline hostesses obviously feel that this was a step too far."
Voting on the collective wage agreement concludes and Icelandair presents its second quarter results tomorrow
Voting by airline hostesses on their new collective wage agreement concludes at noon tomorrow.
Icelandair's second quarter results will also be published tomorrow, but preliminary operating results indicate that the company's revenues have decreased by 85 percent from the corresponding period last year.
Online voting on the collective wage agreement regarding Icelandair between the Icelandic Cabin Crew Association and the Confederation of Icelandic Employers began on Wednesday, 22 July, and concludes tomorrow, on Monday, 27 July, at 12 o'clock noon.
Icelandair employees who pay membership dues to the Icelandic Cabin Crew Association are eligible to vote on the agreement.
Icelandair and the ICCA signed a new collective wage agreement in the early hours of Sunday, 19 July, but on the previous Friday, Icelandair ended its negotiations with the union after the airline hostesses had overwhelmingly rejected the first agreement in a vote in early July.
By then, Icelandair had dismissed all of the company's airline hostesses and flight attendants but withdrew the dismissals when the new collective wage agreement was signed.
According to the collective wage agreement, airline hostesses have to fly five more hours per month for the same base pay.
The collective wage agreement, which will remain in force until 2025, integrates the provisions for pilots and airline hostesses on the maximum number of flight hours per shift.
The agreement was presented to ICCA members at a meeting at the Hilton Nordica hotel on Monday, where many airline hostesses interviewed by the news agency expressed their dissatisfaction with the agreement.
However, most seemed to agree that the agreement must be accepted in order to keep the ICCA alive.
Icelandair's second quarter results will be presented tomorrow, but according to preliminary operating results, the company's EBIT, its earnings before interest and taxes, is negative to the tune of USD 100-110 million, or about ISK 15 billion.
Last Wednesday, Icelandair sent preliminary calculations to the Nasdaq Iceland, stating that the company's revenue during the quarter amounted to approximately USD 60 million, or about ISK 8.3 billion.
Cash and cash equivalents stood at approximately USD 154 million at the end of the quarter, or about ISK 21 billion.
Icelandair also aims for an offering of the company's shares in August.
Icelandair aims to conclude agreements with fifteen creditors, government authorities and aerospace manufacturer Boeing by the end of the month, before its share offering.
A new strain rather than a new type of virus
"A new virus just means that this was an individual who arrived from abroad.
This is not something that has been brewing in this country," says Már Kristjánsson, head doctor at Landspitali Hospital's communicable disease ward, about the news of a "new type of virus" being detected in this country.
Three domestic infections were diagnosed yesterday and two at the border.
One of those diagnosed had participated in sports club activities at the Rey Cup football tournament but the source of the infection has not been found and the infection is currently being traced.
An infection was also detected in an individual who arrived in the country on 15 July, and two persons who were in contact with this individual are beginning to show symptoms of COVID—19.
Yesterday, an infection connected to an infection reported the day before yesterday was also diagnosed, and sequence analysis by deCODE Genetics showed a "new type of virus that has not been diagnosed here before."
Tracing in connection with that infection has been completed.
Már notes that this is not a new virus but the same virus that has spread across the world, i.e. the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2.
It would be more accurate to talk about a new strain of that virus rather than a new type of virus.
When asked what this means and whether this could indicate anything about a new wave of the pandemic having begun, Már says that this is an isolated incident at the moment and it was possible that nothing more would come of it.
"However, if there are more domestic cases with no overseas connections and the same genotype as this particular strain, the conclusion could be made [about a second wave] but it is not timely at this point," Már explains.
Happiness in the hot tub
Is the secret to Icelanders' happiness found in the hot tubs?
BBC presenters suggest this in a fun video that sheds light on the swimming pool and hot tub culture of Icelanders.
The Icelandic bath culture is unique in the world, and it is claimed that there are nowhere as many bathing spots per capita.
The natural geothermal heat is the basis for this, as well as the local swimming tradition.
Swimming became a mandatory school subject for children in 1940, but senior citizens are just as likely to use the hot water to boost their health.
Trips to the swimming pool are described as a fixed part of Icelanders' general welfare.
In the hot tub, everyone is equal, regardless of their class or position.
Freed from their mobile phones, people can have personal conversations on any subject or enjoy the healing virtues of the water by meditating and recharging their mental and physical batteries.
An uphill battle with one hundred days until the elections
In one hundred days, Americans will go to the polls to elect a President for the next four years.
Donald Trump seeks reelection but faces an uphill battle.
Joe Biden, the expected Democratic candidate, has a big nationwide lead on Trump if opinion polls are to be believed.
According to a recent survey by the AP news agency, a record number of Americans believe that the nation is headed in the wrong direction.
Trump's response to the novel coronavirus pandemic is also highly unpopular, in addition to which an increasing number of Americans believe that the President has handled the economy poorly.
More precisely, only two out of ten Americans say that the United States are heading in the right direction.
32 percent say that they support Trump's response to the pandemic, and 48 percent say that he has handled the economy well.
That proportion was 56 percent in March and 67 percent in January.
According to FiveThirtyEight's average, Biden's support is 49.9 percent nationwide while Trump's support is 41.9 percent.
Trump himself has attempted to shift the focus away from his response to the pandemic and onto Biden, promote the so-called culture gap and announce policies intended to revolve around law and order.
Meanwhile, the Biden campaign makes great efforts to keep the focus on Trump, believing that there's a great chance of victory if the elections will actually revolve around Trump's performance in office over the past four years.
Trump's unpopularity also seems likely to have a negative effect on Republican senators, and prominent Republicans fear that Democrats might even gain a majority in the US Senate, which has been considered highly unlikely until now.
Politico recently reported that if support for parties and candidate remained similar to what it is now, the Republican Party would suffer its biggest defeat in decades.
Suburbs had proved to be particularly bad for the party in the 2016 senate elections and the trend was likely to continue now.
In recent days, Trump has tried to scare suburbanites into supporting him, including by claiming that if elected President, Biden will destroy the suburbs of America and increase racial tensions.
One of Trump's measures was to repeal a regulation from Obama's time in the White House intended to increase diversity in the suburbs.
He also encouraged "housewives" in American suburbs to read an article by a former New York lieutenant governor who claimed that Biden would destroy American suburbs, which Trump agreed with.
"Biden will destroy your neighbourhoods and the American dream.
I will preserve it, and make it even better!" said the President.
Suburban residents are an ever-growing proportion of voters.
According to NPR, they make up about half of all voters in the United States.
Ever since the reelection of George W. Bush in 2004, the candidate who has received the majority of votes from this segment has become President.
The exception was in 2012, when Mitt Romney received the majority of votes from this segment but lost to Barack Obama.
Polls have shown that although Trump secured a narrow majority of suburban voters in 2016, his support among them has decreased significantly.
Although polls have varied, Biden has recently been measured as having a fifteen percent lead on Trump in the suburbs.
Regis Philbin has died
American television personality Regis Philbin has died at the age of 88.
Philbin was active as an actor, television host, presenter and singer for about six decades.
He may be best known for hosting the popular talk show Live! with Regis from 1988 to 2011 alongside Kathie Lee Gifford and later Kelly Ripa.
He also hosted series such as Who Wants to Be a Millionaire and America's Got Talent.
According to Guinness World Records, Philbin is the person who has appeared for the most hours on US television, an achievement for which he has been recognised.
He received six Emmy Awards in the course of his career and was nominated a total of 37 times.
According to a statement from his family, Philbin died of natural causes.
Numerous colleagues, friends and fans have eulogised him on social media in the last 24 hours.
Will the Olympic flame be the light at the end of the tunnel?
When the final decision had been taken to postpone the Olympic Games, an event that only world wars had disrupted until then, the President of the International Olympic Committee said that the famous Olympic flame would be the "light at the end of the tunnel", presumably referring to the coronavirus pandemic through which the world is now jointly navigating.
Elite athletes have one more year to prepare themselves and Japanese authorities take on extra costs because of the postponement.
But all keep their chin up, as there is much at stake.
When it was announced that Tokyo, Japan, would be the site of this year's Olympics, the celebrations of the Japanese delegates were genuine.
They cried and laughed in turns, Tokyo having applied to host the 2016 games but losing out Rio, Brazil.
This time, Tokyo and Japan would revel in the global spotlight.
The Olympics were supposed to be held on 24 July to 9 August, but have now been postponed for a year so they will instead begin on 23 July 2021 and end on 8 August.
If the games cannot be held then, if the coronavirus will still be too much of a threat, the games will be cancelled.
But this is something that no one really wants to contemplate.
The Olympic Games are no ordinary sporting competition.
No expense is spared, the spectacle is always supposed to be dazzling and top the previous games.
The selection of a host city for the Olympics is based on how an evaluation commission rates the cities' presentations.
The more spectacular the presentation — the more likely it is to be awarded.
Tokyo spent USD 150 million on its bid to host the 2016 Olympics, or the equivalent of over ISK 20 billion.
In the second instance, in the application for the 2020 games, USD 75 million, about ISK 10 billion, was spent on the promotion.
In 2013, when it was decided that Toyko would be awarded this year's games, Japanese authorities had therefore already spent the equivalent of ISK 30 billion on the project.
But this amount is only a drop in the ocean compared to the cost of building an Olympic village and stadiums, and the general cost of strengthening the country's infrastructures in order to be able to manage such a tournament, preparing for it and holding the games themselves.
The Japanese organisers have said that the Tokyo Olympics, which were supposed to be taking place now but have been postponed for a year because of the coronavirus, would have cost USD 12.6 billion.
However, a report by the Japanese Board of Audit, published at the end of last year, revealed that the actual cost was closer to double that figure.
It's probably not possible to fully assess the cost of postponing the games but according to estimates, the cost may be from two to six billion dollars, in addition to the original cost.
The full cost for the Japanese Olympic Committee and Japanese tax payers could therefore range from 15 to 30 billion dollars.
These numbers are so high that all of the Icelandic State's tax income would only cover just under half the Olympics, assuming the lowest possible cost.
The Olympic Games are an event of such magnitude that they have often been the subject of economists who attempt to review the figures and study the benefits and gains from the games.
In short, quite a number of people seem to have concluded that the effects of the Olympics are anything but positive for the economy of the host cities.
There are some short-term effects, including a great short-term increase in jobs, but in the longer term, cites are often left with a trail of debts and enormous operating costs for little-used facilities.
Rio, Brazil, is left with significant debts from the 2016 games and has had trouble funding the maintenance of all the large sports facilities that were built for the games.
A study of the figures from the 2012 games in London has shown that only 10 percent of those who got a job related to the Olympic games in the city were unemployed before.
This means that new jobs weren't created except to a limited extent.
In general, cities have not been particularly economically successful in hosting the Olympics because of the onerous costs related to the structures built for the games.
On the other hand, many believe there to be a benefit in the increased traffic of tourists who want to visit the Olympic cities after the games, although this is highly uncertain when it comes to the 2021 games.
It is also unclear whether it's possible to receive the large number of spectators who usually attend the games.
Most important, however, is the honour accorded to the cities in being selected, which is difficult to assess in terms of money.
The fact is that despite the enormous costs, it could also be said that the joy created by the games is of such a nature that it's impossible to put a price tag on it.
But although the spectacle is often impressive and no expense is spared, money is of course not the only issue.
The sports stars are at the forefront.
For some elite athletes, postponing the games is an accidental blessing.
One of these is Australian pentathlon competitor and gold medallist at the last Olympics, Chloe Esposito, who is heavily pregnant and would have been absent this summer but is hoping to be in competitive shape for the 2021 games.
That is why she is one of the athletes who are rather pleased with the postponement, for understandable reasons.
For the athletes who intended to retire after this year's games, had they been held at the right time, the postponement of the games means, in some instances, that they will retire from competition before the games are held.
They simply do not trust their body to withstand another year of hard training.
Few athletes were as successful in securing their place in the hearts of spectators at the 2016 Olympics in Rio as the gymnastics star Simone Biles.
She came home with four gold medals around her neck and one bronze.
Biles has sat down for several interviews in her home country of the United States to discuss the Olympic Games.
She intends to go to the 2021 games but is not certain that she will still be at her peak at the games next year, when she will be 24 years old.
Although that is generally not considered old, it is rather much for a top-flight gymnast.
"This is a delicate subject" says Biles with a slight smile in an interview on the Olympic Committee's Instagram page when asked whether she intends to be as successful at the 2021 games as she was in Rio in 2016.
"I simply don't know whether I'll still be at the top after another whole year of training," says Biles.
She has previously said that her body will not stand the strain of gymnastic training much longer.
She is nevertheless training enthusiastically for the 2021 Olympics.
Biles admits that it was an uncomfortable feeling to have to stop training all of a sudden when the gymnasium was closed at the height of the pandemic.
Just as with everyone else, there were no exemptions for Biles while all sports facilities were closed for seven weeks.
All her Olympic gold medals could not buy her any priority access and like others, she had to find various ways to stay in shape.
The basic form is certainly a little better than for most people.
"We have a strict schedule now.
It was hard to begin training again when the gymnasium first opened again.
We began slowly but have reached full speed again and I will gradually add to the training as the year goes on.
Obviously, we don't know for sure how these games will be, or whether they will be held, but we can't do anything but train as if they will take place.
I have put in too much effort to leave the sport now," says Biles.
She, like others, has some doubts, or perhaps rather awareness of the possibility of the games not being held in 2021 either.
But trying to make predictions about this is hopeless.
No one can know what the status of the coronavirus pandemic will be in July 2021 and there is nothing to do but prepare for the Olympics assuming that they will be held in a year.
Perhaps the Olympic flame will be the light at the end of the Covid tunnel.
Postponed the wedding because of the pandemic
Modern Family actress Sarah Hyland has decided to postpone her wedding due to the coronavirus.
She was supposed to marry the former Bachelorette contender Wells Adams this summer.
"I think that there are other, more important things to think about right now," said the actress in an interview with People.
"We definitely want to get married one day and have the wedding of our dreams with all our loved ones present.
But we decided to postpone it and focus on what's important right now, and that's helping to spread information about wearing masks and staying at home.
I'm more focused on global issues than wedding issues these days.
There are many things going on and we should turn our attention to what's happening in the world."