Staff at Ölduselsskóli had been raising concerns since August about the working practices of the contractor responsible for repairs and renovations at the school after mold was discovered there last spring. It appears that these concerns were not heeded until tensions boiled over this week, and the contractor was dismissed in the presence of staff.

“All of a sudden, a flood of slush and ice came over the guardrail,” said Hilmar Andrésson, who experienced the frightening ordeal of having snow and debris thrown onto his car by a snowplow traveling in the opposite direction. He was driving south on Kringlumýrarbraut toward Kópavogur and Garðabær near the N1 station in Fossvogur this evening.

Twelve-month inflation measured 5.2 percent, unchanged between months.

Due to a poor weather forecast, police in East Iceland requested that the rescue teams Vopni in Vopnafjörður, Stefán in the Mývatn district, and Jökull from Jökuldalur travel to the Mývatn and Möðrudalur highlands to escort travelers from the area as the road was being closed.

Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir said it was shocking and overwhelming to stand in Maidan Square in Kyiv yesterday to commemorate Ukrainians who have fallen in the country’s defense — and to witness firsthand the destruction caused by Russia.

Snow is expected across much of southwest Iceland tomorrow, with winter driving conditions likely, according to a meteorologist with the Icelandic Road and Coastal Administration.

Landowners at Reynisfjara Black Beach have removed map and warning signs at the beach to prevent them from being damaged.

Around 30–40 firefighters took part in extinguishing the brush fire in Kópavogur yesterday. The acting chief of the Capital Area Fire Department says the most likely cause was arson, although it could also have been accidental. Firefighters also experienced significant interference from onlookers at the scene.

A total of 16,692 Icelanders used metabolic medications such as Wegovy and Saxenda for weight management in 2025, paying nearly ISK 3.5 billion annually in total, or more than ISK 200,000 per person.

Dozens of firefighters fought a brush fire that broke out near Elliðavatn shortly before 4 p.m. yesterday. At first, the blaze proved difficult to control, and there were fears it might spread across Guðmundarlundur in Kópavogur.

It is believed that the earthly remains of Lúðvík Pétursson lie under a gravel pile in a crack that he fell into while working on a house at Vesturhóp in Grindavík on January 10, 2024.

Two thousand people were trapped in a landslide near Eyjafjöll mountains last night and needed the help of rescue teams as strong winds threatened to blow hundreds of vehicles off the roads in South Iceland.

An Icelandic TikTok user known by the username ekkitommi posted a video in which he playfully tricks his father.

Rescue teams in South Iceland transported about 30 people from two buses that went off the road near Uxafótalækur, east of Vík in Mýrdalur, around 5 p.m. today.

The Icelandic Meteorological Office has issued a yellow warning for a northeasterly snowstorm in Southeast Iceland this evening.

The Court of Appeal has sentenced Gedirninas Saulys to ten years in prison for a serious assault that led to a man’s death at a summer house in Kiðjaberg in spring 2024.

Two employees at the Miðbær Primary Health Care Clinic in downtown Reykjavik tested positive for tuberculosis bacteria during a staff screening.

A new record was set in the Hvalfjörður Tunnel last year, when 3.315 million vehicles passed through — the highest number ever recorded.

Police in the capital area are investigating an incident that occurred on Ash Wednesday at Smáralind, where a middle-aged man in a gray van allegedly attempted to lure several nine-year-old girls into his vehicle by offering them candy.

Nearly 74% of apartments in the capital area were sold in December at prices lower than the listed asking price, compared with about 67% in December 2024.

There was no shortage of Ash Wednesday cheer at Smáralind yesterday, as hundreds of children arrived smiling in their most dazzling costumes and sang for shop staff in exchange for candy.

Absence due to illness among public sector employees is twice as common as in the private sector, and the direct cost to the public sector from sick leave is significantly higher. This is among the findings of a new analysis by the Iceland Chamber of Commerce on sick-leave entitlements for public employees.

Members of the air rescue team in Varmahlíð assisted foreign tourists last night after their Dacia Duster became stuck in snow in Mælifellsdalur valley in Skagafjörður.

The amount of magma beneath Svartsengi continues to increase, with about 22 million cubic meters having accumulated since the last eruption.

Tómas J. Gestsson, CEO of Heimsferðir, says it is true that the owners of Kúbuferðir had warned him about the situation in Cuba. However, the warning concerned government interference, not shortages of fuel or essential goods.

Anahita Babaei and Elissa May Phillips were convicted of disobeying police orders and boarding whaling vessels as an act of protest in 2023.

Chefs around the country were busy yesterday preparing salted lamb and cooking split pea soup — the meal that will be served on tables far and wide today.

The Ísólfur search and rescue team from Seyðisfjörður came to the aid of a group of people whose car became stuck on Fjarðarheiði last night.

There was a time when children leapt out of bed at dawn on Bolludagur to rush in and spank their parents with a bolluvöndur while they were still in bed, earning a cream bun as a reward for each swat.

Today there will be a northerly wind, generally 3–10 m/s in the west but 13–18 m/s in the east.

On April 22, the new Miss Iceland will be crowned, and among this year’s contestants are twin sisters Sara Guðjónsdóttir, Miss Geysir, and Lilja Guðjónsdóttir, Miss Gullfoss. The idea to participate arose after they watched a close friend compete and saw how much she blossomed through the process.

Lilja Dögg Alfreðsdóttir has been elected chair of the Progressive Party, taking over the role from Sigurður Ingi Jóhannsson.

Bun Day, or Bolludagur, is celebrated tomorrow, February 16 and it has become one of Iceland’s foremost dessert days. It is no longer simply a day for traditional cream buns filled with jam and chocolate, but a platform for innovation and variety. In recent years, there has been a noticeable change in how Icelanders approach baking and enjoying buns. Instead of sticking to traditional recipes, more and more people are experimenting with unexpected ingredients and new techniques.

Olympian Jakobína Valdís Jakobsdóttir is heading to Italy, where she will attend the women’s slalom and giant slalom events at the Winter Olympics in Cortina. She herself competed there for Iceland in alpine skiing when the Winter Olympics were held in Cortina in 1956.

Emil Hrafn Steinsson, an officer in the Swedish Air Force, is half Icelandic and half Swedish. He is one of the 110 Swedish service members currently carrying out NATO air policing duties in Iceland.