It’s the first demo podcast for Iceland News. Jim talks with Icelanders Heidur and Marta about McDonald’s leaving Iceland. Recorded 30-10-2009.

var gaJsHost = ((“https:” == document.location.protocol) ? “https://ssl.” : “http://www.”);
document.write(unescape(“%3Cscript src=’” + gaJsHost + “google-analytics.com/ga.js’ type=’text/javascript’%3E%3C/script%3E”));

try {
var pageTracker = _gat._getTracker(“UA-3192173-11″);
pageTracker._trackPageview();
} catch(err) {}

Your weekly roundup of the best blog posts and news articles about Iceland from across the globe.

Flickr Image of the week: “McDonald’s is leaving Iceland” by Visit Iceland.

Reykjavik Grapevine
***STAR READ*** Blame Canada?
“Onlookers shouted and boo-ed as city council progressed toward approving the 32.32% sale of Iceland’s HS Orka to the Canadian-cum-Swedish firm Magma Energy Corp.”
BBC News Online
No more Happy Meals for Iceland
“Iceland is to lose its three McDonalds outlets after the country’s financial crisis made operating there too expensive. The restaurants import almost all of their ingredients, but the collapse …

I almost spat out the mouthful of Tim Horton’s coffee that was in my mouth as my eyes glanced across A1 of Canada’s Globe & Mail newspaper this morning. Iceland on the front page. I kid you not.

Then throughout the day more media began to appear, all regarding the decision of Iceland’s McDonald’s franchise owner to shut up shop. And that’s an important difference. As Alda Sigmundsdóttir

This seems to have been the biggest news out of Iceland yesterday thanks to a Bloomberg story which reported:
Iceland’s McDonald’s Corp. restaurants will be closed at the end of the month after the collapse of the krona eroded profits at the fast-food chain, McDonald’s franchise holder Lyst ehf said.
McDonald’s in Iceland, which imports most of the ingredients it uses in its meals, will shut after costs doubled over the past year, Lyst said in an e-mailed statement today. The franchise holder said it doesn’t expect the situation to change in …