Icelandair has completed the acquisition of a 49% stake in the company that holds the Maltese air operator’s certificate formerly belonging to airline Play.

More than 15,000 participants are now registered for the Íslandsbanki Reykjavík Marathon, which takes place on Saturday, and the full and half marathons are close to selling out.

Culture Night in the capital area looks set to be a wet one tomorrow, with around ten millimeters of rainfall expected during the day.

Eyjagöng ehf. has signed an agreement with Norwegian consulting firm Norconsult to carry out a comprehensive cost and feasibility assessment for the construction of a subsea tunnel between the Icelandic mainland and the Westman Islands.

The Icelandic Institute of Natural History is proposing that the ptarmigan hunting season be extended by a total of 11 days this year compared with last year. The institute has submitted its proposal to the Ministry of the Environment, Energy and Climate.

At a meeting of Reykjavík’s Executive Council today, the mayor presented a proposal for a special subsidy on meal services for low-income senior citizens. Under the proposal, those whose income falls below a defined threshold would pay ISK 1,500 per meal instead of ISK 1,900.

Strætó services will operate very differently on Saturday because of Culture Night, traditionally one of the busiest days of the year. Most routes will run more frequently throughout the day, and free shuttle buses will operate between Laugardalshöll and Hallgrímskirkja, while several routes will also be altered because of road closures.

Opera singer and composer Alexandra Chernyshova had an unforgettable experience in Vatnshellir Cave on the Snæfellsnes Peninsula over the weekend when she sang for a small group of tourists. She knew only that it was a special VIP group, but when the lights came back on after her performance, she realized that none other than Hollywood star Nicole Kidman was among the audience.

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.