Iceland's Rare Birds Committee will determine whether the sighting of the American Tree Sparrow in Kjós will be officially confirmed. The committee has not been convened specifically because of the bird's appearance, as it normally reviews and confirms rare bird records for the entire year at the end of the year.

The Street Food Festival, held in partnership with the European Street Food Awards, will take place in Hljómskálagarður Park in Reykjavík this weekend, July 17 to 19. The festival has established itself as Iceland's largest food event and will offer a wide range of activities for the whole family.

Iceland's Ministry of Education and Children has introduced plans for legislation that would prohibit children under the age of 15 from using social media.

There is plenty of activity in Borgarfjörður Eystri these days, with beautiful weather drawing both locals and visitors to the area. Hotels are fully booked, the campsite is busy, and hundreds of cruise ship passengers visited the village today.

Iceland's all-time temperature record was set at Teigarhorn in 1939, when the mercury reached 30.5°C (86.9°F).

Iceland had the highest upper secondary school dropout rate in Europe in 2025, according to official data from the European Union's statistical office, Eurostat. The figures show that 16.7% of Icelanders aged 18 to 24 had left upper secondary education without completing it.

The number of foreign citizens living in Iceland has grown at a faster rate than the number of Icelandic citizens since December 1, 2025, according to new data from Registers Iceland.

A total of 43 burglary and theft cases have been reported to police between July 1 and today, including 20 in downtown Reykjavík.

A pickup truck towing a caravan was caught by strong winds on Holtavörðuheiði today, causing the caravan to overturn and come to rest on its side across the road, while the pickup became stuck in the roadside shoulder for quite some time.

An American Tree Sparrow is currently staying in the Kjós area of southwest Iceland. The species has never before been recorded in Iceland and has only been seen once previously in Europe, about a decade ago in Scania, Sweden.

Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir appears to have taken home more than just memories of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's ceremonial rifle and a handshake with U.S. President Donald Trump from her trip to Turkey. Online, hundreds of thousands of Turks have flocked to her Instagram account, showering her with praise.

The vessel Bandero has left Iceland's 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone, according to a spokesperson for the Icelandic Coast Guard.

Preparations for next month's total solar eclipse in West Iceland have been underway for nearly three years, according to Sigríður Ó. Kristjánsdóttir, managing director of the Westfjords Regional Development Office, commonly known as Sirrý. Now, she says, much depends on the weather forecast.

A new bridge over Breiðholtsbraut opened to traffic this morning, along with new traffic lights at the intersection of Arnarnesvegur and Breiðholtsbraut.

Many people are expected to travel to North and East Iceland this weekend, where the forecast calls for sunny weather and temperatures of up to 27°C (81°F).

American singer-songwriter Jewel recently visited Iceland and thoroughly enjoyed traveling around the country, even though the weather was less than ideal during her stay.

Many residents of the Capital Region have recently noticed advertisements at bus shelters bearing the message: "Operation 86: Stop Whaling."

Isavia's plans to build a 200- to 400-room hotel at Keflavík International Airport do not align well with the future vision for tourism on the Reykjanes Peninsula.

Several of Iceland's salmon rivers have been producing particularly strong catches in recent days. Among the standout rivers are the Þverá/Kjarrá system in Borgarfjörður, the Jökla River in East Iceland, and the Haffjarðará River in Hnappadalur.

If the forecast holds, East Iceland is set to enjoy hot temperatures and sunshine next weekend.

Last Saturday, the British newspaper The Daily Telegraph published an article about whaling in Iceland. The story included interviews with Kristján Loftsson, CEO of Hvalur hf., Haraldur Ólafsson, chairman of Heimssýn, and a person identified only as "a spokesperson for the Icelandic government."

"In reality, it's nothing short of vandalism," says Birna Mjöll Atladóttir, owner of Hotel Breiðavík near Látrabjarg in Iceland's Westfjords, after three large tour groups canceled more than 75 room bookings for the days surrounding next month's total solar eclipse.

Kristín Auður Kelddal Elíasdóttir says it is important to preserve Iceland's centuries-old stonewalling techniques because they safeguard both the country's cultural heritage and history.

A large emergency response was launched shortly before 8 p.m. this evening after a concrete mixer truck drove off a bridge over the Þjórsá River near the Sultartangi hydroelectric power station and plunged into the river.

Icelandair carried 545,000 passengers in June, a 1% decrease compared with the same month last year. Despite the slight decline, the number of passengers traveling to and from Iceland increased, according to a statement from the airline.

"Inspection reports are public documents, and anyone may request access to them under Iceland's Information Act. That means we are not permitted to withhold them. Requests for these documents were made, and we released them on that legal basis."

Two endurance athletes ran and hiked a total of 100 kilometers (62 miles) on Mount Esja yesterday, completing 15 ascents and descents of the mountain.

The Goslok Festival, one of two annual town festivals held in Vestmannaeyjar each summer, reaches its peak today.

Nestled among the majestic mountains surrounding Ísafjörður, American-born Catherine Chambers has found her place in the world. She lives there with her husband, Dan Govoni, and their two daughters, Friðrika and Lóa, both of whom were given Icelandic names, having been born and raised in Iceland.

Warm and sunny weather is forecast across much of Iceland this weekend, with Reykjavík expected to enjoy temperatures of up to 18°C (64°F) and clear skies, according to the Icelandic Meteorological Office.

The chief physician at Vogur Addiction Treatment Center says large drug seizures have not historically had a noticeable impact on the supply of illegal drugs in Iceland.

A Ferris wheel has been erected at Miðbakki by Reykjavík Harbor for the third consecutive summer.

Ómar Örn Bjarnþórsson, defense counsel for Ming Ting Mancel, has asked the court to acquit her of all charges brought by the prosecution. He also requested that all legal costs be paid by the state.

The Capital Area Police received specific intelligence that led investigators to uncover plans to smuggle what became the largest single cocaine shipment ever seized in Iceland, 106 kilograms.

Environment, Energy and Climate Minister Jóhann Páll Jóhannsson formally approved the expansion of the Grótta Nature Reserve earlier today in the presence of representatives from the Municipality of Seltjarnarnes and the Icelandic Institute of Natural History, which collaborated on the project.