Reynisfjara Disappears, TB Outbreak, Epstein, Inflation, US Access to Icelandic Gov. Data

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The Reykjavík Grapevine's Iceland Roundup brings you the top news with a healthy dash of local views. In this episode, Grapevine publisher Jón Trausti Sigurðarson is joined by Heimildin journalist Aðalsteinn Kjartansson, and Grapevine friend and contributor Sindri Eldon to roundup the stories making headlines in recent weeks. On the docket this week are: 
Preschool Problems In Reykjavík
On Thursday it was reported that child in a preschool in Reykjavík suburb Breiðholt was left on the grounds alone, for its parent to find it there, when all of the staff had already left the premises.  This story overlaps with all of the headmasters of Reykjavík’s 63 preschools telling the city that it has until the end of the month to solve the city’s preschool problems.
Emergency Room Still Full At Reykjavík’s Main Hospital
The chairman of the Medical Doctor’s association, told the news this past week that the situation in the hospital’s emergency rooms had never been worse, and currently a 100 patients are waiting in the overcrowded hospital for space in a nursing home. This comes after reports that seven health care employees got TB from a patient that died from that in January.
Interest Rates Stay The Same, Inflation Roars
The Central Bank announced last week that they would not raise interest rates, even though inflation has now been measured above 5,2%. If this trend continues, the collective bargaining agreements now in place might become void. .
Epstein Files and Arctic Circle
The release of the Epstein files has brought back a 2020 story on the fact that Ghislaine Maxwell spoke  at the annual Arctic Circle Council in 2013 and 2014, and that there she  met, and subsequently married the council’s co-founder Scott Borgerson.
Reynisfjara Beach No Longer A “Beach”
Heavy ocean currents, with easterly winds have all but swept the beach element of the famous tourist destination Reynisfjara beach, away. The famous basalt columns, one of the most photographed places in Iceland, are now directly exposed to the waves, with all the sand in front of them gone. 
The USA Has Access To All Icelandic Government Data
Last summer, an Icelandic hosting service provider, Mörður Áslaugarson, pointed out in a Op-Ed on visir.is, that companies such as Amazon, Microsoft, Google and Apple are forced to hand all the data they have from Icelandic government institutions to the US government.

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The Reykjavík Grapevine is an alternative monthly magazine published in Iceland since 2003. We bringing you the news and views on Icelandic culture and society, sprinkled with music coverage, travel content, restaurant reviews and more. More on https://www.grapevine.is
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