The light of the Imagine Peace Tower on Viðey Island was illuminated at 8 p.m. yesterday evening, on the birthday of John Lennon, the husband of Yoko Ono.

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Seventy years after Halldór Laxness received the Nobel Prize in Literature and ninety years after the publication of Independent People, the Icelandic author’s works appear to be rapidly vanishing from high school reading lists.

“This is a historic day — one that gives us hope for the people of Palestine and for the release of the hostages. That is what we must discuss: how we can continue to support Palestine in the future,” said Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir, Iceland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, as she addressed the media before her meeting with Varsen Aghabekian, the Foreign Minister of Palestine, this morning.

The Environment and Energy Agency of Iceland will impose an administrative fine on the bankruptcy estate of Play for unpaid carbon taxes, also known as emission allowances.

“The defendant has confessed to his role in the case concerning a 63-year-old woman who was shot to death in her home in Stockholm exactly one year ago,” said Alexandra Bittner, district prosecutor and lead prosecutor in the case against the Icelander, in an interview with mbl.is.

The family of Margrét Kristín Blöndal, better known as Magga Stína, is urging the Icelandic government to do everything in its power to secure her immediate release, along with the rest of the crew of the so-called Freedom Flotilla.

The Monetary Policy Committee of the Central Bank of Iceland has decided to keep the bank’s interest rates unchanged.

Increased visible steam has been observed along the national highway through Hveradalir.

The Independence Party branch in Grindavík passed a resolution at its annual meeting this evening outlining plans to resume daycare services in Grindavík next spring and reopen schools in the fall of 2026.

Six people were transported to the hospital in Egilsstaðir following a traffic accident on Jökuldalsheiði around eight o’clock last night.

The airline Play, which declared bankruptcy last Monday, owed Isavia around half a billion Icelandic krónur in landing fees at Keflavik International Airport.

An Icelandic woman is harshly criticizing the Directorate of Immigration’s decision to deport her husband and impose a two-year re-entry ban. She says the process was confusing, unfair, and in violation of her fundamental rights as an Icelandic citizen.

Icelandic mathematician Björn Birnir has become one of the world’s leading experts on air turbulence, and was recently interviewed by The New York Times about his groundbreaking research on the phenomenon.

The short documentary Fjallferð was filmed in Landmannaafréttur in the autumn of 2024. Three young American filmmakers — Jesse Smolan, Josh Fairmont, and Ollie Smith — contacted Icelandic photographer Ragnar Axelsson, known as RAX, and were granted permission to join the annual sheep round-up in the highlands.

Today’s forecast calls for light northerly or variable winds. The weather will be mostly clear, though isolated showers are expected in the south and west early in the day.

Halla Gunnarsdóttir, chair of the VR union, believes that municipalities have effectively given up on preschool issues. She says society assumes two wage earners, and preschools are one of the cornerstones of that system.

“We have a large number of passengers booked to Gran Canaria and Tenerife this winter, and many of those had originally booked with Play,” says Andri Már Ingólfsson, CEO of the travel agency Aventura, in an interview with mbl.is.

A Cattle Egret (kúhegri) was spotted earlier today west of Ólafsvíkurenni on the Snæfellsnes peninsula — a very rare sighting in Iceland.

Halldór Guðfinnsson, Chief Operating Officer of Fly Play Europe, has left the company, according to mbl.is sources. Halldór also previously served as COO of Play in Iceland.

Following the collapse of Play, Icelandair’s market share has risen to 70%, while Play’s share had stood at 19%. Play had expected this figure to drop to around 8% over the next three months — but now, of course, its market share has disappeared entirely.

The National Security Council will be convened on Friday, Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir announced following today’s cabinet meeting.

In recent weeks, Isavia has received two separate reports of drones flying near Keflavík Airport, both inside and outside the restricted zone.

Icelandair is in discussions with the Ministry of Infrastructure about operating extra flights to bring home travelers stranded abroad following the bankruptcy of Play Airlines.

According to Isavia, a total of 12 Play flights were canceled at Keflavík Airport today, affecting around 1,750 passengers.

The board of Fly Play hf. has announced its decision to cease operations, effective immediately, and all of the airline’s flights have been canceled, according to a statement released by the company.

Around midday yesterday, the Icelandic Coast Guard received a signal from an emergency beacon showing a location near Skaftafellsfjara beach on Skeiðarársandur.

The tourist who attacked a female tour guide at Gullfoss last Tuesday has not yet been located. The woman, who works for Bus Travel Iceland, expressed shock at both the inaction of bystanders and the police, calling it shameful that such a violent attack could occur without consequences.

Heavy sentences were handed down today in the Gufunes case by the South Iceland District Court.

A section of the Ring Road near Jökulsá í Lóni, just east of Höfn, was washed out this morning due to heavy flooding, leaving about 50 meters of road destroyed.

The likelihood of a magma intrusion — and potentially a volcanic eruption — at the Sundhnúkagígar crater row will increase starting September 27, according to a new update from the Icelandic Meteorological Office.

A red warning light is currently flashing at Reynisfjara beach due to dangerous surf conditions, and a barrier has been placed across the path leading to the shore. Despite this, tourists are still venturing down to the beach, putting themselves at serious risk.

More than 1,130 drivers were caught speeding in and around elementary schools in the capital area during police speed checks in May and September, according to a statement from the Metropolitan Police.

The Icelandic Meteorological Office has issued a warning for significant rainfall across the western, southern, and southeastern parts of the country, as well as the southern Eastfjords, over the next few days.

The ministers of Iceland’s government have shared their favorite childhood books — the ones they loved most when they were in elementary school.