Lögberg-Heimskringla - 15.01.2019, Page 2

VISIT OUR WEBSITE LH-INC.CA
2 • Lögberg-Heimskringla • January 15 2019
Gender equality still
greatest in Iceland
visir.is – For the tenth year
in a row, Iceland ranks highest
on the World Economic
Forum’s list of states rating
highest for equal rights. The list
came out this week. Following
Iceland are Norway, Sweden,
and Finland. The evaluation
covers nearly all countries.
It assesses equal rights of
the sexes in governmental
affairs, education, work,
and healthcare. The WEF’s
statement on the results
focuses on what determines
Icelanders’ good performance
in this area. “The importance of
equal rights has substantially
increased worldwide in recent
years, and other countries
view Iceland as a model for
legislation and development
in this issue area. Equal
rights is a key emphasis in
the government’s coalition
agreement, and efforts in
this area toward continuing
progress have been diligent,
both domestically and
internationally,” according to
the statement. Prime Minister
Katrín Jakobsdóttir said that
the WEF’s list reflects the
massive work on equal rights
in Iceland: by the government,
within educational areas, and
by the grassroots.
Record number of
passengers at Keflavík
Airport
ruv.is – More passengers
than ever before passed
through Keflavík Airport
in 2018. The record year
was already established in
November, when the nine
millionth passenger passed
through the airport. Twenty-
six airlines plan to fly to and
from the airport next summer.
The number of airlines flying
to Iceland has increased in
recent years. The airlines
flying to Iceland next year are
the same as those last year,
except for Primera Air and
Luxair, according to Isavia.
More foreign airlines now fly
to Iceland than in 2005, when
only five foreign airlines
used the airport. Icelandair
and Wow Air carry the most
passengers while Easy Jet
and Wizz Air are the biggest
foreign airlines.
Faroese terminate Hoyvík
Agreement of free trade
Morgunblaðið – The
Faroese parliament has
authorized the country’s
foreign minister to terminate
the Hoyvík Agreement on free
trade between Iceland and the
Faroe Islands. At the start of
this year, a new Fisheries Act
banning foreign ownership in
Faroese fisheries companies
entered into force in the Faroe
Islands.
The Icelandic fishing
company Samherji owns a
30 percent share in Framherji
in Fuglafjørður. “It surprises
us that they terminated this
agreement,” said Kristján
Vilhelmsson, Samherji’s
fisheries manager. “This
outcome disappoints us, but
it will not take effect until six
years from now,” he noted.
If nothing changes,
Samherji will sell its share in
Framherji before January 1,
2025, when the ban will take
effect. In addition, Kristján
anticipates that Samherji
will have to sell its share in
Bergfrost Freezer Storage if
the Faroese plans materialize.
Iceland’s foreign minister,
Guðlaugur Þór Þórðarson, said
that his government’s position
was clear. The Faroe Islands
have the right to tailor their
fisheries legislation in their
best interests. “However, we
must consider that Icelandic
parties have invested and
worked there in good faith for
a long time. We need to protect
the interests of Icelanders
there as well as elsewhere,” he
said. “Barring further changes,
the agreement expires at the
start of 2020. We consider it
important to utilize the time
we have to resolve matters.”
Age of gigantic power
stations is past
mbl.is – The time for
building gigantic power
stations to drive energy-
intensive industries has passed.
Iceland’s minister of transport
and local government, Sigurður
Ingi Jóhannsson, made this
observation in his New Year’s
article in Morgunblaðið’s New
Year’s section, Milestones.
“The world faces extensive
and urgent tasks that spotlight
environmental affairs. The
government of Iceland has
taken major steps in its first
year in power. It is also right
to keep in mind that when
it comes to environmental
affairs, most politicians
agree that sustainable
development is a key factor,”
he said. “No political party’s
agenda includes launching
further build-up of polluting
energy-intensive industry or
constructing gigantic power
stations. That time is simply
past. The interests of nature are
a factor in the government’s
decision-making. On the other
hand, they are not the only
factor because sustainable
development also entails
economic and social factors
that are also important. ...
There is simply no other choice
than for us to gird ourselves to
grapple with the tasks lying
ahead. Here, sensibility must
guide us.”
Economic omens in 2019
ruv.is – There are ominous
signs this year for the economy
and continuing improvements
in the standard of living will
depend on responses to these
signs, according to Prime
Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir.
And Bjarni Benediktsson,
minister of finance and
economic affairs, said that
this year would revolve
around whether people built
a foundation for the future or
rocked the boat with disunity.
As is customary, the
President of Iceland and
government ministers met on
New Year’s Day. As ministers
arrived at the meeting, the
media interviewed them.
When reporters asked the
prime minister for her
overview of last year’s salient
developments, she replied, “I
think that this was in many
respects a very good year for
Icelandic society. However,
we see signs and omens in
the economy that its growth is
slowing, and how we respond
to this over the next several
quarters to ensure continuing
improvement in the standard
of living is very important.
This was perhaps the major
news here last year. I think
that labour market issues will
dominate the news early in the
year.”
Reporters asked the finance
minister the same questions.
“We formed a government here
to establish political stability,
and I think this was successful.
To me, this is what stands out
in politics,” Bjarni said.
Fewer tourists forecast for
first months of 2019
visir.is – Isavia’s current
forecast calls for nearly 10
percent fewer passengers at
the Keflavík Airport during
the first three months of 2019,
although December arrivals
were headed for a record
number. Isavia provisional
forecast for the first three
months of 2019 states that the
number of passengers will fall
by 9.6 percent. If that is the
case, the decrease would be up
to 1,800 passengers per day.
The forecast does not speculate
about how things will develop
through the remained of the
year.
Reprinted with permission
from Icelandic News Briefs,
published by KOM PR.
NEWS BRIEFS
203.803.8899 | kent@gudlite.com | www.gudlite.com
DJ SERVICES LIGHTING PLANNING
Weddings | Socials | Holiday Parties | Corporate Events | Production
President of Iceland Guðni Th. Jóhannesson and First Lady Eliza Reid met with Þórdur
Bjarni Guðjónsson, Consul General of Iceland in Winnipeg, during a visit to Bessastaðir
on January 3, 2019. Among other things, they discussed the upcoming celebration of the
centennial of the Icelandic National League of North America, which will be marked
at the INLNA annual convention in Winnipeg this coming May and on other occasions
throughout the year. They also spoke about the history of the Icelandic migration to North
America, present-day Canadians and Americans of Icelandic descent, and their sense of
connection to their old ancestral homeland.