Iceland review - 2004, Síða 90

HUNTING WHALES
The Icelandic government announced this
summer that it would only hunt 25 minke
whales this year, pulling back from an origi-
nal quota that called for the culling of 500
whales over a two-year period.
The original quota called for a cross-species
hunt, including 100 sei whales, 200 fin
whales and 200 minke whales for scientific
purposes.
The pull back is seen as a compromise on the
part of the government, which insists it
needs to hunt the whales in order to study
the mammals’ feeding habits and better
understand the ecology of the ocean.
Amid peaceful protests by Greenpeace and
the international community, Icelandic
whalers killed 36 minke whales in August
and September last year out of a planned
100.
STICK ‘EM UP
The Icelandic bank robber is a peculiar
breed. In the US, a bank robber uses a gun
as the weapon of choice. In Iceland, the
weapons range from nothing to a knife.
And because Iceland is such a small country,
the bandit is sure to be recognised on tape,
and might even be related, a distant cousin,
to one or even two of the bank’s employees.
But the sublime nature of bank robberies hit
its peak this summer when one individual, in
search of easy money, walked into a
Landsbanki branch in a suburb of Reykjavik
brandishing an axe. After collecting his loot,
the burglar ran out of the bank, chased by
an employee. A passer-by noticed the inci-
dent, and decided to take matters into his
own hands because, as he told reporters
afterwards, he felt sorry for the bank
employee running in such uncomfortable
shoes.
The passer-by phoned the police on his cell
phone while giving chase. Minutes later, the
police arrived on the scene and arrested the
axe-man. Shortly afterwards, two accom-
plices were also arrested, proving once
again that crime doesn’t pay.
REYKJAVÍK ARTS FESTIVAL
A HIT
Grammy Award-winner Susana Baca closed
the Reykjavík Arts Festival 2004 on the last
day of May with a stirring performance, the
second of two sold-out shows.
The Arts Festival, which is now a yearly
event, featured a host of international stars
from the world of dance, film, music, and
art. The Arts Festival even matched up the
Nobel prize-winning poet Seamus Heaney
with Ireland’s master uilleann piper Liam
O’Flynn.
For more information on the Reykjavík Arts
Festival past and present, log on to
www.artfest.is
88 NEWS CLIPPINGS
GIVE PEACE A CHANCE
On June 1st, the German Air Force handed over control of the
Kabul Airport to the NATO-led International Security Assistance
Force (ISAF).
Why are we writing about this in Iceland Review? Because little old
Iceland is the lead nation providing staff and resources for the
operation of the airport, and Colonel Halli Sigurdson of Iceland
will oversee operations.
In total, 60 Icelanders will work at the international airport in
Kabul over the next year, maintaining three-month shifts. As part
of the ISAF, they will also assist the Afghan Ministry of Civil
Aviation and Tourism, responsible for the civilian part of the air-
port, with overall operation of the airport and logistics.
CLIPPINGS
MBL/THORKELL THORKELSSON
Street scene from Kabul
IR_news_update 16.6.2004 11:24 Page 88