Icelandair Aircraft in Antarctica Mbl.is has received photos taken in Antarctica of the Boeing 767 aircraft from Icelandair that landed there on Friday. The purpose of the flight was to pick up Norwegian scientists at the Norwegian research center Troll, owned and operated by the Norwegian Polar Institute. The research center is located on Princess Martha Coast, which is a portion of the coast of Queen Maud Land. The aircraft landed on ice. Photo/Icelandair The aircraft first flew from Iceland on Wednesday directly to Cape Town, South Africa, and from there to Antarctica. It made a short stop on Princess Martha Coast – only about two hours. From there, it flew back to Cape Town, before heading for Oslo, Norway.
Icelandic Criminal Groups Active Abroad Photo/Eggert Jóhannesson He tells mbl.is that Icelandic criminal groups are, for example, known to be active in Spain, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Denmark and South America. Chief Superintendent Karl Steinar Valsson. mbl.is//Hari Their main activity centers around illegal drugs, but they are involved, too, in fraudulent activity, such as money laundering. “We tend to concentrate on the foreign groups in Iceland,” Karl Steinar states. “The scene, however, is not that simple.” He explains that some organized Icelandic criminal groups are engaged in criminal activity to a small extent here in Iceland, if any. Their main activity is in countries where they reside. “Drug trade and money laundering are connected. For the most part, the trade takes place in Europe, but in South America and Australia as well,” he notes.
Billions to Be Invested in Pools From Laugardalslaug swimming pool. mbl.is/Eggert Jóhannesson Vala Hafstað In the coming years, the City of Reykjavík plans to invest between seven and eight billion of ISK (up to USD 62 million; EUR 51 million) on the renovation on swimming pools, the building of new ones, and on the improvement of facilities for sea swimmers, mbl.is reports. These plans were presented by Reykjavík Mayor Dagur B. Eggertsson earlier this month. The grandstand by Laugardalslaug, designed by Einar Sveinsson, is need of major repair. mbl.is/Eggert Jóhannesson The largest investment is the renovation of the Laugardalslaug swimming pool, planned from 2021 through 2025 at the cost of ISK three billion (USD 23 million; EUR 19 million). In addition to renovating the pool and the hot tubs, a competition will be held to determine how the currently dilapidated grandstand can be used.
Aftershocks to Be Expected Vala Hafstað
Two such in excess of magnitude 3 have hit the area in the past 24 hours: one of magnitude 3.5 hit at 2:35 pm yesterday, and another one, measuring 3.2, at 8:37 this morning. The source of the first one was just north of Fagradalsfjall mountain, while that of the second one was 2 km east of the same mountain.
“Aftershocks are to be expected when the earth is recovering from such activity,” states Kristín Jónsdóttir, natural hazards specialist at the Icelandic Met Office.
Since the swarm of earthquakes began Wednesday morning, more than 4,000 tremors have registered in the area. The largest earthquake, measuring 5.7, hit the area shortly after 10 am Wednesday.