Lögberg-Heimskringla - 01.03.2019, Page 2

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2 • Lögberg-Heimskringla • March 1 2019
Foreign ships off Iceland
without notice
Frettablaðið – There
have been recent instances
of unknown ships operating
within Icelandic jurisdiction
without informing the
Icelandic Coast Guard,
which has submitted a
report to Iceland’s Security
Council. “The Coast Guard
has recently suffered from
limited surveillance capacity
in Icelandic waters. Incidents
have regularly occurred that
were avoidable or, at least,
would have required further
consideration,” according to
the report, which also shows
that there is in no way personnel
or equipment are ready to
grapple with the difficult task
of seeing to the country’s
defences. “This has been clear
to anyone wanting to know,”
said Auðunn Kristinsson, “The
Coast Guard wants to work in
accord with the law. We simply
hope that the National Security
Council carefully reviews the
report and acts in accordance
with its contents.” It mentions,
for example, satellite pictures
taken at the end of October;
they show 10 unknown ships
southeast of the country.
Secretary visits NATO
Control Centre
Morgunblaðið – During
his recent visit, U.S. Secretary
of State Mike Pompeo visited
NATO’s Control Centre at the
Keflavík Airport, along with
Foreign Minister Guðlaugur
Þór Þórðarson, Coast Guard
Director Georg Kr. Lárusson,
and the Coast Guard’s Director
of Defence Jón B. Guðnason.
The Coast Guard operates the
control centre, which carries
out security surveillance,
under NATO’s auspices. At
a press conference in Harpa
Conference Centre, Pompeo
said the purpose of his visit was
not least to strengthen ties with
U.S. allies that previous U.S.
governments had neglected.
PM says there’s no fun in
politics without risk taking
TV2 News – Left-Green
Movement Chair and Prime
Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir
said that it had been risky
to enter into a government
coalition with the Independence
and Progressive parties.
However, she said, politics is
not fun without taking risks.
On the other hand, she does
not fear history’s judgment.
Last month, the Left-Green
Movement celebrated its 20th
anniversary.
Ed Miliband attended
Left-Green symposium
visir.is – “Iceland is a model
regarding gender equality
and climate change,” said
Ed Miliband, British Labour
MP, who also praised Jeremy
Corbyn, the party’s current
leader. He has extended a
helping hand to Prime Minister
Theresa May regarding
Britain’s problematic exit from
the European Union. Miliband
said that May needed to do
better. Last month, he was one
of the guests at the Left-Green
Movement’s symposium on
the left’s position and global
challenges. He said that a
formal parallel national party
to Britain’s Labour Party
in Iceland was the Social
Democratic Alliance. However,
he said it was always good to
exchange views with people on
the left wing of politics. “It is
good to exchange views and
also to see what is happening
in Iceland. In many ways, we
admire what Iceland has done.
For example, your emphasis on
gender equality, your official
positions on climate change and
carbon offset. I have come here
to learn, along with sharing my
own experience,” Ed Miliband
told Vísir. He said it was
unlikely that parties on the right
and left would work together in
government in Britain as the
Left-Greens and Independence
Party do in Iceland.
Men spryer longer than
women
Morgunblaðið – Icelanders
surpass those living in other
European countries when it
comes to the length of life
lived in good health. Eurostat’s
recently released figures show
that the average longevity of
people with good health on
the continent is 64.2 years
for women and 63.5 years for
men. Icelandic women are in
10th place on the Continent
for longevity with good health.
Each woman, on average,
can expect to live 66.2 years
in good health. This is a bit
longer than the average on the
continent. On the other hand,
Icelandic men are spry much
longer than women, according
to Eurostat. Each male in
Iceland can expect to live in
good health to the age of 71.5
years.
Wages increased by 80
percent in euros
mbl.is – Wages in Iceland
increased by 80 percent in
euros over the period 2013-
2017. This is according to
figures from Eurostat on
the per-hour wage costs in
the business economy. The
Icelandic government website
states that strengthening of the
króna caused its purchasing
power to increase sharply
in foreign currency at the
same time as wages greatly
increased. The news item
states that wages elsewhere in
Europe had not increased as
much on this scale in recent
years.
“A high wage level in
Iceland, compared to other
countries, reflects the national
economy’s strong position and
high real exchange rate, which
is one of the main reasons
that the price level in Iceland
is high, compared to other
countries.”
According to Eurostat’s
research, the price level
in Iceland was 66 percent
higher, on average, than in
EU countries in 2017. This
comparison converts the price
level in krónur to a price level
in euros. When the króna
strengthens, products priced
in Icelandic krónur are more
expensive in euros, according
to the calculation. On the
other hand, that the króna’s
strengthening in the period
2013-2017 promoted lower
product prices in Iceland in
Icelandic krónur and therefore
increased households’
purchasing power.
The abolition of tariffs
and excise taxes have further
promoted lower product
prices in important product
categories.
Kaupþing preparing sale of
Arion Bank share
The Market – Kaupþing
is the biggest shareholder in
Arion Bank with a one-third
ownership share. It is now
preparing to sell a large part of
its share in the bank – likely a
10-percent share. Based on the
current price of Arion Bank’s
shares on the stock market, a
10-percent share in the bank is
worth about 14.5 billion krónur
($159.3 million Canadian).
Kaupþing anticipates that
the sales process will be an
accelerated bookbuild offering
– that is, shares in the bank will
be sold through investment
banks and securities dealers
to investors. The price will
be near the price at which the
stock is being bought and sold
in the market. This process
entails making an offer to a
group of investors. They then
have a short period of one or
two days to register for shares
in the bank. Kaupþing and the
hedge fund Attestor Capital,
which now holds a 7.15 share
share in Arion Bank, sold a
combined share of 29 percent
of the bank’s share capital last
June. Following Arion Bank’s
registration on the stock
market in Sweden and Iceland,
Kaupþing, along with Attestor,
Taconic Capital, Och-Ziff,
and Goldman Sachs, was
forbidden to trade in its shares
in the bank for six months.
These sales restrictions ended
on December 20, 2018.
Reprinted with permission
from Icelandic News Briefs,
published by KOM PR.
NEWS BRIEFS
PHOTO: EMBASSY OF ICELAND IN CANADA
Ambassador Pétur Ásgeirsson was the speaker at the Ottawa Women’s Canadian
club lunch on February 21. The club was founded in 1910 and it has been holding its
meetings at the Château Laurier since 1912. The ambassador gave a short overview of the
history of Iceland, spoke about the Canadian community of people of Icelandic descent,
and discussed Iceland’s excellent track record when it comes to gender equality. The
ambassador is pictured here with club president Kathy Schultz Boettger and other
leading members of the club.
Wouldn’t your amma and afi be proud?
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Email: inl@mts.net www.inlofna.org
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