The rescue alert came shortly before 10 p.m. on Saturday from Kotiselkä, waters in the southern part of Lake Saimaa. The rescue service said the person was not wearing a life jacket.

Rescuers took the two people who remained on the sailboat aboard their vessel and towed the sailboat to a nearby island. They searched the water as well as nearby islets and islands.

The search was called off without results at about 1.30 a.m. The rescue service did not provide information about possible injuries. Police are responsible for further action in the case.

The post Search fails to find person who fell from sailboat in Taipalsaari appeared first on Daily Northern.

The winning numbers were 13, 14, 16, 24 and 37, with 39 drawn as the bonus number, according to Icelandic Getspá.

The three winners shared the bonus prize. No one won the top prize in Joker, while two players won the second prize of 125,000 krónur each.

The post Three lottery players win more than 164,000 krónur each appeared first on Daily Northern.

They opened the shop in Grindavík eight years ago with the aim of preserving the town’s handicraft community. The idea for Prjónasystur arose when the existing knitting shop in Grindavík was due to close.

“We felt it was very important to be able to meet and knit, and to offer this in such a small community so people would not have to travel to Keflavík or Reykjavík for it,” Marta said.

The sisters both maintained full-time jobs alongside running the business. Lilja is an auditor and owner at KPMG, while Marta works at the offices of Þorbjörn ehf. in Grindavík.

Marta lived in Grindavík with her husband and three children before the natural disasters. After the evacuation in November 2023, the sisters took part in short trips into the town and gradually removed the shop’s stock.

Their home, called Bakki, stood between fissure valleys and was not affected by the ground movement. Marta said they were fortunate that the house suffered virtually no damage.

At first, the entire stock was taken to Lilja’s home in Njarðvík. Marta had been unable to return to her own home, while Lilja had space for the stock, leaving her house crowded with yarn.

The sisters later stored the stock in an almost empty laundry room in the basement beneath their friend Piotr Jakubek’s Mini Market in Reykjanesbær. Marta said Jakubek had effectively saved both the shop and her, as he also allowed her to store her household belongings there.

Prjónasystur’s online shop reopened as soon as the stock had been retrieved from Grindavík. Lilja said their customers were understanding, while the residents of Grindavík were naturally focused on other matters.

“We will not return to Grindavík for now,” Marta said. Neither sister lives there anymore, and few of their customers are going there. She added that she would never rule out a return completely.

An extended interview with Marta and Lilja appears in Morgunblaðið’s Sunday edition.

The post Knitting sisters will not reopen Grindavík shop for now appeared first on Daily Northern.

The helicopter was sent to East Greenland on Thursday to collect an ill passenger from a passenger ship. Coast Guard spokesperson Ásgeir Erlendsson said it was unusual for the service to respond to a call in Greenland, but cooperation between Greenland, Denmark and Iceland in the region was strong.

Earlier that day, the crew of TF-GRO had collected an ill crew member from a passenger ship about 140 nautical miles northeast of Iceland. The helicopter departed Reykjavík Airport at 2.35pm and stopped in Akureyri to refuel. Shortly after 5pm, the crew member was lifted aboard and flown to Ísafjörður, where an ambulance aircraft took him on to Reykjavík.

The helicopter then prepared for the Greenland mission. It arrived at Nerlerit Inaat Airport, also known as Constable Point, at 9pm, refuelled and continued to the passenger ship. The ill passenger was lifted aboard and flown back to the airport, where a Norlandair ambulance aircraft transported him to Iceland.

“It was an unusual day, especially given that there were two flights far out at sea,” Ásgeir said. Coast Guard surveillance aircraft TF-SIF accompanied the helicopter on both long-range flights. Another helicopter and crew were also kept on standby during the medical missions.

The post Icelandic helicopter crew completes two long-range medical flights appeared first on Daily Northern.

The winning numbers were 13, 14, 16, 24 and 37, with 39 as the bonus number.

Three ticket holders shared the bonus prize, receiving just over 164,000 Icelandic krónur each. One ticket was bought at Hagkaup in Akureyri, another through lotto.is and the third through the Lottó app.

No one won the first prize in Joker. Two ticket holders won the second prize and will each receive 125,000 krónur. One ticket was bought at the N1 station on Lækjargata in Hafnarfjörður, while the other was a subscription ticket.

The post No jackpot winner as three share Lottó bonus prize appeared first on Daily Northern.

The winning numbers were 13, 14, 16, 24 and 37. The bonus number was 39.

Three ticket holders shared the bonus prize, receiving just over 164,000 Icelandic krónur each. One ticket was bought at Hagkaup in Akureyri, another through lotto.is and the third in the Lotto app.

No one won the first prize in Joker either. Two tickets won the second prize, with each holder receiving 125,000 krónur. One ticket was bought at the N1 service station on Lækjargata in Hafnarfjörður, while the other was a subscription ticket.

The post No jackpot winner as three share bonus prize appeared first on Daily Northern.

A documentary about India’s ancient dance traditions was shown before the performance, featuring various gods and ornate costumes. Reddy was accompanied by three musicians: singer Aadarsh Mukundan Nair, violinist Guruprasath Raghavendra Prasath and Chandra Kant Mammillapalli, who played the mridangam drum.

Before the show, Þórdís Jóhanna Lareau, an employee of the Indian Embassy in Reykjavík, spoke about Reddy’s career. She said Reddy had attracted attention for her stage presence at the age of eight, including in The Los Angeles Times.

Reddy has since performed around the world, including in the United States, Canada, Europe, Southeast Asia and the United Arab Emirates. She has danced for heads of state, political leaders and royal families, and is now an internationally recognised dancer and teacher.

Reddy has dedicated herself to preserving the kuchipudi tradition and passing it on to future generations. Lareau described the dance as a highly theatrical form of expression, noting the precision and expressiveness of its facial movements.

After the performance, India’s ambassador to Iceland, R. Ravindra, presented Icelandic translations of Indian comic books to Pawel Bartoszek, chair of the Alþingi Foreign Affairs Committee, and Þórunn Sveinbjarnardóttir, president of Alþingi.

Ravindra told Morgunblaðið that kuchipudi is one of India’s eight major classical dance traditions and originated in the village of Kuchipudi in Andhra Pradesh. The dance combines graceful movements, expressive storytelling, rhythmic footwork, music and theatrical elements to interpret stories from Indian mythology, particularly those connected to the god Krishna and other Hindu deities.

He said the tradition had developed from dance dramas performed by male artists in Kuchipudi village before evolving into a refined form performed both individually and in groups by men and women. Its defining feature is the seamless integration of nritta, or pure dance; nritya, expressive dance; and natya, theatrical presentation.

Ravindra also recalled that Logi Einarsson, Iceland’s minister of culture, innovation and higher education, signed a declaration of intent in Delhi in February on cultural cooperation between the two countries. Music, dance, theatre, literature, museums, libraries and archaeology were included in the agreement.

The post Indian dancer showcases kuchipudi at Reykjavík theatre appeared first on Daily Northern.

Halla and her husband, Björn Skúlason, opened the residence to the public for the third time. Visitors came from across Iceland, along with some foreign guests.

“More than a thousand people have come here today. This is the third time we have held an open house during Culture Night. I am completely exhausted from standing here, but this has been so enjoyable,” Halla told mbl.is.

She said the event had become a valued tradition. About 1,600 people attended the first open house, when the couple had only recently taken office. The residence is also open to the public during Museum Night.

Halla said she was especially moved by children who visited and ran into her arms. She described Culture Night as important because families and different generations come together to enjoy music, art exhibitions and time with one another. They also visit Bessastaðir and Reykjavík City Hall, sing and dance together, she said.

She also recalled the death of Bryndís Klara, who died after being stabbed during Culture Night in what Halla described as a case of one child causing harm to another.

“It was very difficult for our community. Such a tragic event must not be for nothing,” Halla said.

Following the death, people formed a movement called the Knights of Love. During last year’s Culture Night, the city was lit in pink in memory of Bryndís Klara. The group has now raised nearly 200 million Icelandic krónur to support a building that has been purchased to receive victims of violence and their relatives.

Halla also spoke about a school attack in Fagersta, Sweden, which she heard about after returning from Estonia on Friday evening. She said such incidents had become too common in societies where many people had not experienced much violence while growing up.

She said Icelandic society had responded by continuing to gather during Culture Night in the spirit the event was intended to create.

Asked what might cause young people to become involved in horrific acts of violence, Halla said several factors were involved. She said that in what she called an “attention society”, people had lost many essential connections, including connections with themselves, other people, nature, a sense of purpose and a feeling of belonging.

The post Halla Tómasdóttir welcomes nearly 2,000 visitors to official residence appeared first on Daily Northern.

The coffee sale will take place on Sunday, August 23. Several runners are also raising money for the project by participating in the Reykjavik Marathon on Saturday.

Gríma Katrín Ólafsdóttir of the Christian youth organisation KFUM og K, which runs the camp, said the existing sports hall was old and unusable. It has not been used for the past two or three years.

The planned building will be larger than the current hall and include space for table tennis and indoor games, as well as toilets, showers and other facilities. Its floor will also be marked for brennó, a game played at Ölver every day during the summer and described by Gríma as the camp’s national sport.

“The dream is to begin construction next year if the detailed plan and funding allow,” Gríma said.

Nearly 500 children aged eight to 16 stay at the camp each year, divided into ten groups of 46. The final group of the summer stayed there last week.

Gríma said attendance had been very strong this summer. The organisation also hopes to expand the main Ölver building in the future, with a larger dining room, kitchen and more sleeping accommodation. Plans for that project are ready, but work will not be considered until funding has been raised for the sports hall.

The coffee sale will run from 1pm to 5pm and feature a traditional cake buffet, including traybakes, cinnamon rolls, open sandwiches and meringue cakes.

Admission is free for children aged nine and under. Children aged 10 to 15 pay 2,000 Icelandic krónur, while everyone else pays 4,000 krónur for coffee and cakes. More than 300 people have attended in recent years, with numerous volunteers involved in organising the event.

The post Ölver camp raises funds for a new sports hall appeared first on Daily Northern.

One of the hosts is Bjálmsholt, a family farm where the Eimverk distillery recently moved its brewing and distilling operations. It is the first time Eimverk has hosted the event, although the company is taking part for the second time.

“This is the second time we are participating, but the first time we are hosts,” Eva María Sigurbjörnsdóttir, Eimverk’s production manager, told Morgunblaðið.

At each host farm, other small producers will gather to present and sell their products. The event aims to raise awareness of local production, strengthen ties between consumers and sellers, and encourage more small producers to enter the sector.

The other host farms are Eysteinseyri in Tálknafjörður, Syðra-Holt in Svarfaðardalur, Hólmi Farm in Hornafjörður, Sölvanes in Skagafjörður, Laugar in Sælingsdalur, where farmers from Ásgarður will host, and Blómabær in Egilsstaðir. At Blómabær, the event will be held as part of Ormsteiti, a harvest and cultural festival in Fljótsdalshérað.

Whisky and handmade goods

Eimverk’s products will be presented alongside goods from numerous small producers. Visitors will be able to buy pork, beef, kombucha, mustard, popcorn, handmade yarn and soaps made by Spunasystur from residues left over from Eimverk’s production.

Eimverk will also showcase its Flóki whisky brand, as well as Vørgin gin, Kría vodka and vinegar. The company’s production is expanding, with the move increasing capacity from 300-litre equipment to 3,000-litre equipment.

Eimverk has used Icelandic grain from the beginning. “We have never used imported barley for production,” Eva María said.

Visitors to Bjálmsholt will also be able to see the farm’s grain-drying facilities, whisky cellar and combine harvester. The farm grows grain and has no livestock apart from 12 chickens.

“People can come inside and see our grain drying and the whisky cellar downstairs. We also have a combine harvester, and I imagine not many people in Iceland have seen one,” Eva María said.

The post Iceland farm day to showcase whisky, popcorn and beef appeared first on Daily Northern.