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.

The Icelandic Language Council has proposed that authorities examine whether there is a need to enshrine protection for the Icelandic language in the country’s constitution. The council also recommends a review of the current laws regarding the status of Icelandic and Icelandic Sign Language.

Just over half of the participants in the third data collection of Heilsuferðalagið (The Health Journey) rated their mental and physical health as good or very good at the age of 36.

The government must safeguard the regional fishing quota and ensure that other developments in the fishing industry do not come at its expense. This is stated in a resolution passed at the Westfjords Regional Assembly, held last week.

The glaciers of Iceland have inspired countless namesakes — and Icelandair’s winged Boeing 757-200 proudly carried the name of Europe’s largest glacier, Vatnajökull.

Icelandic authorities should consider the option of transferring prisoners to other countries in order to ease the strain on overcrowded prisons in Iceland.

The charitable organization Lífskraftur, founded by the outdoor group Snjódrífurnar, has launched a nationwide campaign aimed at eliminating cervical cancer in Iceland.

The board of Vatnajökull National Park has approved an amendment to the park’s management and conservation plan, allowing motor vehicle and bicycle traffic through Vonarskarð each year starting September 1, until the area becomes impassable due to weather conditions.

Authorities are working to pardon Mohamad Th. Jóhannesson [formerly Mohamad Kourani] in the near future and deport him from Iceland as soon as possible. This would replace the earlier plan for him to serve half of his eight-year sentence in Iceland before being expelled.

This Saturday, members of the boat unit of the Árborg Rescue Association will ferry forestry workers out to Jóruklettur rock, a rocky island in the Ölfusá river near Selfoss. Their mission is to measure a striking spruce tree that has been growing there and has recently drawn much attention.

City authorities are openly pursuing a policy aimed at making car ownership and use as difficult as possible, effectively forcing people to choose alternative modes of transportation, says Hildur Björnsdóttir, leader of the Independence Party in Reykjavík’s city council. She was speaking about a draft transportation plan for a new neighborhood in Keldnaland.

It was recently announced that prisoner Mohamad Th. Jóhannesson [formerly Mohamad Kourani] will be deported once his prison sentence ends in 2028, after he relinquished his claim to international protection.

The construction of the Harpa Concert and Conference Hall was a successful decision, and ensuring the building operates at its full potential is good business. Harpa supports cultural tourism in Iceland, which plays a key role in maintaining the country as a strong destination, says Svanhildur Konráðsdóttir, Harpa’s CEO.

The government’s draft budget projects a significant rise in state revenue from vehicle excise taxes, with income from this source expected to increase by 66.2% next year compared to projected revenue for this year.

The Environmental and Natural Resources Appeals Board has rejected a request from environmental organizations to halt preparatory construction work for the Hvammsvirkjun power plant.

Bragginn in Nauthólsvík, renovated by the City of Reykjavík in 2017, has now been closed to the general public.

Mohamad Th. Jóhannesson, formerly known as Mohamad Kourani, who was sentenced to eight years in prison in July last year, has renounced his international protection status.

Fannar Jónasson has announced that he will not seek another term as mayor of Grindavík when his current term ends.

Residents in the capital area who looked up at the sky shortly after 10 p.m. last night were likely astonished to see a long, bright streak resembling a glowing rod made up of many stars gliding across the night sky.

Three individuals were arrested during a large-scale police operation in Auðbrekka, Kópavogur, last night.

Armored vehicles have been seen driving on Icelandic roads as part of the annual explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) exercise organized by the Icelandic Coast Guard.

An earthquake swarm that began off the Reykjanes Peninsula yesterday evening continued through the night, with around 50 quakes recorded in the area between 7 p.m. yesterday and 5 a.m. this morning.

“These are perilous times, and NATO member states must face the seriousness of the threats to their security and democracy.”

One of the main problems in the current discussion about accidental escapes of farmed salmon is that people can no longer tell farmed fish apart from wild fish. This is according to Daníel Jakobsson, CEO of Arctic Fish in Ísafjörður.

An earthquake measuring 3.1 occurred on Vatnajökull glacier just before 7 a.m. this morning. Its epicenter was located 12 kilometers east of Hamrin and it was measured at a depth of four to five kilometers.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs has issued a statement directed at Icelandic citizens currently in Poland.

Landowners at Ytra-Seljalandi, near the famous Seljalandsfoss waterfall in South Iceland, have requested a change to the area’s zoning plan to allow for the construction of nine summer houses.

Dressed formally, members of parliament and government ministers processed from the Parliament House in Reykjavík, accompanied by the President of Iceland, the Speaker of Parliament, and the Bishop of Iceland, to Dómkirkjan (the Cathedral) for a service — a long-standing tradition marking the official opening of parliament.

President of Iceland Halla Tómasdóttir did not mince words at the opening of parliament yesterday, urging MPs to choose their words carefully in the chamber and to improve the conduct of parliamentary business.