Iceland review - 2016, Page 21

ICELAND REVIEW 19
News Roundup
PHOTO BY GEIR ÓLAFSSON.
KATLA CALLS FOR ATTENTION
Katla volcano, located under Mýrdalsjökull glacier in South Iceland,
gave us a scare on August 28 by quivering more than it had done
since 1977. Two earthquakes of magnitude 4.6 and 4.5 were enough
to make us wonder if one of the most active of Icelandic volcanoes was
going to erupt. Known for erupting on average twice a century, it has
stayed calm for 98 years and counting.
At the end of September, Katla again puzzled scientists with a series
of tremors. A Civil Protection Uncertainty Phase was declared and
the aviation color code elevated from green to yellow. An eruption
seemed imminent. Roads were closed and areas close to the volcano
cleared. Then the old menace decided enough was enough. Katla
calmed down and gave pilots the green light again.

WHO HAS POWER OVER POWER LINES?
A power line project in North Iceland caused
electrified debate between environmentalists on
one hand and government and industry on the
other. The dispute had to do with whether work
permits for the project should be revoked, since
the lines were found to go against environmental
laws enacted a year ago. The law aims to protect
sensitive areas in the country, such as valuable
lava fields.
Environmentalists insisted that parts of the
power line be laid underground to adhere to the
law, while the government, eager to provide elec-
tricity to a rising silicon smelter near Húsavík,
North Iceland, and believing the environmen-
tal laws should not apply to projects already
approved, intended to push a bill through par-
liament to ensure the project could go ahead. A
committee ruled that two permits for part of the
project should be revoked. Still, local authorities
reissued one of those permits, citing economic
and societal interests. About ten percent of land-
owners have yet to approve of the project.
Iceland received two major celebrities in the past
two months. One of them was Canadian singer
Justin Bieber. He performed two concerts in Kórinn,
Kópavogur, in early September, each attended by
close to 19,000 people, which is an Icelandic record.
His visit strained the nerves of many a teenage girl.
Some camped in front of the concert site, hoping
for a glimpse of their idol; others paled at the sight
of him or even fainted.
The other celebrity was Batman (Ben Affleck). He
came to participate in the filming of Justice League.
At the site of filming, in the village of Djúpavík, the
West Fjords, a new enemy awaited him. His name
was Mailman. The local mailman defied orders
from set security guards not to photograph the
filming site and posted his pictures online. That
enraged local police and residents participating in
the production, who had signed a confidentiality
agreement, and were concerned it would damage
the town’s reputation.

BIEBER, BATMAN AND MAILMAN
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