The Iceland Chamber of Commerce believes it would be safe to reduce mandatory pension contributions from 15.5% to 12% of wages. It also believes that income above a certain level should be exempt from mandatory pension contributions once an employee’s savings have reached a level sufficient to ensure an acceptable standard of living in retirement.

Shannon Mann, one of the crew members of Bandero, a vessel operated by the Paul Watson organization, has returned home to Saskatoon, Canada, after being deported from Iceland along with other crew members. She is also reported to have been issued a re-entry ban.

Mayor Hildur Björnsdóttir could be seen at Austurvöllur today celebrating Reykjavík’s 240th anniversary in the sunshine and presenting the program for Culture Night, which will be held in downtown Reykjavík on Saturday, August 22.

“There are certainly some developments and occasionally some ongoing comments on the political front, but we have always had an extremely strong relationship at all levels with the US government and the US military, and that relationship has even grown stronger in recent months and years.”

The housing market is facing difficult conditions. High interest rates are making it difficult for developers to finance projects, leaving them with unsold apartments.

A low-pressure system that has been south of Iceland is expected to move away today. Winds will ease across the southern half of the country, while generally light winds are expected in the north.

“Marine mammals have significantly higher concentrations of iron in their muscles than land animals. Among land animals, beef has one of the highest levels, at around 40 mg/kg of dry weight, while fin whale meat contains around 300 mg/kg of dry weight. Seal meat has the highest concentration, at around 900 mg/kg of dry weight.

The District Prosecutor has charged two men and one woman with attempted major drug offenses dating back to 2024.

Hvalur hf. plans to change course and, for the time being, shelve the sale of whale meat to Japan, instead using meat from its fin whales to produce an iron supplement.

Tinna Bessadóttir, a designer and event manager, accuses the municipality of Hafnarfjörður of taking over the Álfahátíð festival, which she says she created and developed from scratch.

The President of Iceland awarded pediatric cardiologist Stanton Perry the Order of the Falcon at Bessastaðir this week. He received the honor for his invaluable work on behalf of children with heart conditions in Iceland.

Þverá/Kjarrá, Eystri-Rangá and Ytri-Rangá all passed the 2,000-salmon mark yesterday. Þverá/Kjarrá naturally stands out among the three, as it is a wild salmon river, while the other two rely entirely on the release of juvenile salmon.

When the sun went dark the day before yesterday, the trawler Kaldbakur EA was fishing for cod and saithe on the Hali fishing grounds northwest of Iceland, directly in the path of totality. Conditions would undoubtedly have been ideal for the crew to witness the magnificent spectacle had it not been for heavy cloud cover and dense fog.

Flatey Church is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. To mark the occasion, a special anniversary service will be held today, Friday, August 15.

An Icelandic Coast Guard helicopter was called out shortly after 5 a.m. today following an accident in Grundarfjörður.

Police successfully directed nearly 2,500 vehicles away from Látrabjarg after yesterday’s total solar eclipse ended, according to the chief superintendent of police in the Westfjords.

The total solar eclipse will be streamed live here on mbl.is today. A specially equipped camera for filming the spectacle has been positioned near Rauðsdalsfjall by Barðaströnd, where visibility is expected to be among the best in Iceland today.

Police in the Westfjords are well prepared to handle the large number of people now flocking to the region to witness the total solar eclipse later today.

Excitement over the total solar eclipse and the large number of tourists it is bringing is running high among staff at Snæfellsjökull National Park, who are well prepared to accommodate as many as 10,000 people.

A group of boys from Qatar was escorted by police from Iceland’s National Scout Jamboree, which was held in Akureyri from July 21 to 27.

A third suspect believed to have been involved in the death of a man at a residential property on Vallargerði in Kársnes on Sunday has been remanded in custody until August 14.

More than 1,200 people from twelve countries will take part in the NATO defense exercise Northern Viking, which will be held in Iceland. Davíð Logi Sigurðsson, head of the Information Department at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, confirmed this to Morgunblaðið.

The first salmon measuring 100 centimeters or more this season in the renowned big-salmon rivers north of Holtavörðuheiði was caught in the Miðfjarðará River last Thursday. The salmon was caught in the lower reaches of Austurá, at Grundarásbreiða.

The Reykjanes Peninsula is one of the locations in western Iceland where Wednesday afternoon's total solar eclipse will be visible. Tourists have long since made plans to witness the historic event in Southwest Iceland.

All rescue teams in the Árnessýsla region were called out last night after a tourist injured his leg near Háifoss. The man was hiking alone and was injured in the gorge below the waterfall, where there is no mobile phone coverage.

A resident living near Vallargerði in Kópavogur says he was sunbathing in his garden when he saw two men dressed entirely in black enter the house at Vallargerði 35, where a man later died yesterday. Police believe the death resulted from a criminal act. A short time later, he saw the two men running from the scene.

More than one person is in police custody following the death of a man on a residential street in Kársnes today. Police believe the death was the result of a criminal act. Police operations in the Gnoðarvogur area earlier this evening are connected to the investigation.

Married couple Rakel Björk Björnsdóttir and Garðar Borgþórsson formed the musical duo ÞAU a few years ago and have spent the past several summers touring Iceland with their concerts.

Actor Jason Bateman is currently visiting Iceland and had dinner at the Reykjavík restaurant Hornið last night.

The Pride Parade takes place today and is expected to be one of the largest ever, with significantly more participants registered this year than last. Here is the website for Reykjavik Pride for more information.

The Minister of Justice, the Minister of Social Affairs and Housing, the National Queer Organization of Iceland (Samtökin '78), the Confederation of Icelandic Enterprise (SA), and Iceland's national labor federations today signed a declaration of intent to strengthen equality, diversity, and inclusion in the Icelandic labor market.

Áslaug Arna Sigurbjörnsdóttir has joined Fenris Creations in London, formerly known as CCP Games, where she will lead the company's new artificial intelligence initiative. Her title is Senior Director of AI Partnership.

The Environment and Energy Agency of Iceland granted the Westfjords Power Company (Orkubú Vestfjarða) an operating license on July 1 for the 9.9 MW Kvíslatunga Hydropower Plant in Selárdalur, Strandabyggð.

The deportation of the crew of the Bandero, a vessel owned by the Paul Watson Foundation, could take several weeks because the crew members hold different nationalities.

“Dyngjufjöll holds a special place in our activities, so it was only fitting to organize a dedicated expedition there to mark this milestone,” says Gunnar Már Gunnarsson, chairman of the Akureyri Touring Association (Ferðafélag Akureyrar, FFA).