“I think the time has come for us, as a nation, to pause and ask: When are we going to stop this experiment of raising costs and wages far beyond what the national economy can sustain—far beyond what is happening in other countries—while at the same time expecting inflation to remain low and interest rates to be just like in other countries?”

According to modeling calculations, just under 21 million cubic meters of magma have now accumulated beneath Svartsengi since the most recent eruption on the Sundhnúkur crater row in July.

At least eight employees at the Emergency Department of Landspítali Hospital in Fossvogur have been infected with tuberculosis. Those infected include a doctor, nurses, and a receptionist.

No snow was recorded in Reykjavík in the month of January that has just ended, meaning the month was completely snow-free. This was reported by meteorologist Einar Sveinbjörnsson of Blika in a Facebook post.

Operators who offer so-called “gusa” (guided sauna steam sessions) will soon be required to pay for the music used in these services.

Musician Laufey Lín Jónsdóttir won a Grammy Award for the second year in a row at the Grammy ceremony in Los Angeles, United States, last night.

The public’s knowledge of editorial practices and the general legal framework governing the media is lower in Iceland than in the other Nordic countries. Icelanders are less aware of which media outlets have a legally defined public-service role, that media organisations must have a legally responsible editor (or “responsible person”), what that role involves, and that people have the right to reply when misinformation has been published.

Arna Lára Jónsdóttir, deputy chair of the Social Democratic Alliance’s parliamentary group, says there is no point in giving up the fight against the “inflation ghost” — we simply have to do better. She says not everyone is pulling in the same direction.

“The guest’s eye is sharp,” as the saying goes — and that is certainly true. For those of us born and raised here, it is always interesting to see how other nations view us. This week, a reporter visited Jewells Chambers from Brooklyn, who has lived in Iceland for a decade and is an Icelandic citizen.

The Directorate of Internal Revenue (Skatturinn) believed it had a solution ready for the end of the month, but this turned out not to be the case. Jón Þór Víglundsson, communications officer for ICE-SAR Landsbjörg, says Landsbjörg learned about the matter this week.

Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, former President of Iceland, has submitted two written opinions to the Prime Minister’s Office regarding a government bill introduced by Kristrún Frostadóttir, stating that it could “undermine the independence of the President of Iceland.”

Police in Northeast Iceland are warning of slippery road conditions in many parts of the district.

The board of the Westfjords Labour Union says it regrets the decision by management at Arnarlax and Arctic Fish to cut the wages of employees in aquaculture.

“I’m afraid that someone has just been hit in the face with a sledgehammer,” writes Ólafur Stephensen, Managing Director of the Federation of Icelandic Employers (FA), in a Facebook post in which he comments on the new inflation figures.

Inflation is now measured at 5.2%, increasing by 0.38 percentage points since December.

Sigurgeir Brynjar Kristgeirsson, CEO of Vinnslustöðin in the Westman Islands, says the Marine and Freshwater Research Institute’s conclusion that the maximum capelin catch for the 2025/2026 fishing year will be 197,474 tonnes is a lifeline for those who buy capelin and sell it on into the market ahead of the next season.

An earthquake swarm began near Lambafell, 2–3 km west of Þrengsli, at around 16:30 yesterday and is still ongoing.

The damage caused by this morning’s fire at Garðvík’s industrial building in Húsavík is estimated at close to one hundred million krónur.

“I’ve been around many of the actions that have been taking place. I’ve lived here in Minneapolis for three years, and I live downtown,” says Karvel Ágúst Schram in an interview with mbl.is. He has been following the large protests and unrest among residents in recent days, after agents from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) killed Alex Pretti and Renée Nicole Good in cold blood in the city two weeks apart.

Forty-one Icelanders are aged 100 and older. Two of them still have a spouse living.

The Marine and Freshwater Research Institute’s advice on the total capelin quota will be issued later this week, but it is already clear that fishermen are eager to get out to the fishing grounds.

Eyjagöng ehf., which is preparing to construct a tunnel between the mainland and the Westman Islands, has secured a large portion of its ISK 200 million financing target. The company was founded two months ago, and construction is expected to begin in the near future.

“It’s a long story, but I’ll keep it short,” says Erin McHale, a biologist from Old Bridge, New Jersey, who will complete her PhD this spring at the Department of Ecology, Evolution and Natural Resources at Rutgers University in New Brunswick. McHale is a specialist in bats and their behaviour — and she dreams of working in Iceland in the future.

Icelandair has cancelled some of its flights to the United States today, as well as arrivals from the US scheduled for tomorrow morning. Several flights are still operating as planned.

Republican members of the US Congress celebrating at a reception on Wednesday night likely had no idea they were unwittingly recreating a moment from Reykjavik history — echoing a party held in Grjótaþorpið in downtown Reykjavik a full century earlier.

A Taiwanese company, Brogent Technologies, has reached an agreement to acquire the Icelandic company Flyover Attractions, which includes Flyover Iceland. The management of Flyover Iceland says the company’s operations will remain unchanged.

The Marine Research Institute’s vessels Þórunn Þórðardóttir and Árni Friðriksson left the capelin survey route around midday yesterday and headed closer to shore due to the weather. Þórunn took shelter in Aðalvík in the Hornstrandir area, while Árni sought refuge in Húnaflói.

“We are approaching this with full commitment, and I hope that we can finally reach an agreement,” says Anton Kári Halldórsson, municipal manager of Rangárþing eystra.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs has received confirmation from U.S. authorities that U.S. President Donald Trump was not referring to Iceland when he mentioned the country four times in his speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos yesterday.

Most real estate agents believe that market activity remains low for this time of year and that conditions still favour buyers.

Support for the Centre Party has increased by three percentage points month-on-month and now stands at 22.2% in the latest poll by Maskína. This is just under five percentage points lower than support for the Social Democratic Alliance, which measures at 27%.

Niceair’s planned flight from Akureyri to Copenhagen, scheduled for February, will not go ahead. This was to have been the relaunched airline’s inaugural flight.

Yesterday was a hectic day at the emergency department of Landspítali University Hospital in Fossvogur. Dozens of people sought treatment for slip-and-fall injuries, and it can be said that hazardous conditions prevailed in southwest Iceland due to icy roads and pavements.

The bridge over the river Jökulsá at Breiðamerkursandur, near Jökulsárlón on the Ring Road, will be closed from 7:00 p.m. until 1:00 a.m. tomorrow night.

Magma continues to accumulate slowly and steadily beneath Svartsengi. Nearly 20 million cubic metres of magma have now accumulated there since the last eruption in July.