Leon Alexander, a 13-year-old from Garðabær, has interests that set him apart from many of his peers. He spends all his free time learning Chinese, practising Chinese martial arts and the Chinese art of face-changing, and introducing Iceland to audiences in China.
A rare vagrant bird was spotted in the Westman Islands for the first time yesterday. The bird, a cattle egret, has been recorded in Iceland several times since the turn of the century, despite being native to tropical regions and warmer parts of Europe, Africa, Asia and North America.
Police in the Westfjords discovered dozens of fully grown cannabis plants during a search of a home in Bolungarvík on Wednesday.
Families in Iceland owed an average of ISK 14.7 million in 2025, a nominal increase of 3.5% from the previous year.
A meeting in the labour dispute between Icelandair and its aircraft mechanics will begin at the State Mediator’s office at 10 a.m. today, after the two sides reached an agreement to call off the strike and spend the next four weeks trying to reach a deal.
Iceland’s autumn weather appears to be catching some visitors to Reykjavík off guard, with several tourists seen being blown over by the strong winds sweeping through the city.
Yellow weather warnings are in effect across parts of Iceland today as strong easterly winds and heavy rain sweep the country.
The government’s decision to introduce legislation to end the Icelandair aircraft mechanics’ strike was a difficult one, according to Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir. The bill ultimately did not need to be passed after the strike was called off.
Foreign Minister Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir says Iceland must make its voice heard at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, which began yesterday.
The Icelandic Aircraft Mechanics’ Association (FVFÍ) and Icelandair have reached an agreement for FVFÍ to call off its ongoing strike in order to prevent further harm to the company, its customers, employees and stakeholders.
The government is expected to introduce legislation to end the aircraft mechanics’ strike, which began at midnight.
A strike by aircraft mechanics employed by Icelandair officially began at midnight, prompting the airline to cancel all morning flights, both domestic and international.
An indefinite strike by Icelandair aircraft mechanics is set to begin at midnight tonight unless the situation changes. As of last night, no meeting had been called by the State Mediator in the labour dispute.
Icelandair this morning rejected an offer from the Icelandic Aircraft Mechanics Association (FVFÍ) to postpone its planned strike action by seven days.
“Talks are continuing, and as long as that remains the case, we won’t give up,” says State Mediator Ástráður Haraldsson about the collective bargaining negotiations between Icelandair and the Icelandic Airline Pilots Association (FÍA).
Gylfi Magnússon, professor at the University of Iceland’s Faculty of Business Administration, says the government’s bank tax is a strange form of taxation, noting that it is unusual to tax companies’ liabilities.
The Reykjavík City Executive Council has approved a proposal to authorize the Icelandic Association of Local Authorities to negotiate collective agreements on behalf of the city, a move expected to save Reykjavík ISK 65.5 million annually.
Kópavogur is considering installing a 100-metre-long floating breakwater in Kópavogur Harbour to reduce the impact of waves generated by strong southwesterly winds.
The board of the Icelandic Travel Industry Association (SAF) has expressed serious concern about the damaging effects of the planned indefinite strike by Icelandair aircraft mechanics.
A total of 90 fin whales have been caught so far this whaling season. The two whaling vessels, Hvalur 8 and Hvalur 9, headed back out to sea the night before last after spending the previous two days docked in Hvalfjörður, Kristján Loftsson, CEO of Hvalur hf., told Morgunblaðið.
Police are investigating an incident in which a KR swimming coach attacked a Grótta swimming coach two days ago. The victim required medical treatment for injuries at an emergency department.
There is unnecessary secrecy surrounding the PISA results of individual schools, according to Jón Pétur Zimsen, an MP for the Independence Party and first vice-chairman of Parliament’s General Affairs and Education Committee. Schools and municipalities have so far not been given access to their own results, even though the data exists and other countries make use of it.
The former headquarters of Iceland’s Social Insurance Administration at Laugavegur 114 has certainly taken on a new role, with a diverse group of artists and designers now celebrating creativity within its walls.
“We have already heard from our members across the country that cancellations have begun coming in, along with inquiries about whether stays can be cancelled and refunded or trips possibly postponed.”
Sævar Sævarsson, assistant managing director of Blue Car Rental, says he has noticed considerable concern among customers following reports of the looming strike by Icelandair aircraft mechanics.
A proposal will be submitted to Reykjavík City Council’s Executive Committee tomorrow to revoke land allocations to the Muslim Association of Iceland and the Russian Orthodox Church.
Sky Lagoon tops the rankings both for Google search interest and for visibility in AI-generated responses.
No bargaining session has been called as a strike by Icelandair's aircraft mechanics approaches. State Mediator Ástráður Haraldsson confirmed that no talks are scheduled for now. He described the dispute as a wage fight, hinging on how large a raise the mechanics should receive. Unless the two sides return to the table soon, the strike looks set to proceed.
An earthquake swarm began on the Reykjanes Ridge at around 9 p.m. yesterday, approximately 50 km southwest of Eldey.
Iceland's pledge to give every resident a designated family doctor will not be met under current conditions. The government's own assessment is that the health system, as it stands, cannot deliver on the target. That leaves one of its stated healthcare promises unfulfilled.
“This is a crazy approach,” says Jón Karl Ólafsson, former CEO of Icelandair, referring to demands by Icelandair aircraft mechanics, who have voted to call an indefinite strike beginning September 23.
A fire has broken out at Toppstöðin in Elliðaárdalur, with thick smoke visible rising into the air.
The main hearing in the Kársnes homicide case has been postponed by two weeks and is now scheduled to begin on September 29. It had previously been scheduled to begin today and last four days.
Ville Cantell, Finland’s ambassador to Iceland, says he is excited about greater cooperation with Iceland in the field of defense and stronger trade ties between the two countries.
“It was a good experience at the cinema,” says eider farmer Ólafur Aðalsteinsson, who this week attended the premiere of the documentary Birds (and Men), in which he plays a major role alongside his close friend Albert Haukur Gunnarsson, who has helped with the eiderdown harvest in Loðmundarfjörður in recent years.
Optise is headed to Startup Battlefield, the startup competition run by TechCrunch. The Icelandic software company is the first from its country to be picked for the contest in its 20-year history. It builds a website tool for B2B companies that tracks performance and applies automated improvements to bring in more traffic and inquiries.
The Hellisheiði mountain pass has reopened after a morning crash forced its closure. Police had shut the road to eastbound traffic following a collision involving three cars. Traffic is moving through the pass again.
Family and friends will gather at Áskirkja church on Saturday at 4 p.m. for a memorial service honoring Hannah Jane Large. The gathering is described as a celebration of her life. A memorial also stands at the intersection of Krýsuvíkurvegur and Leiðareldar, where the young people died.
Documents obtained by Morgunblaðið show that a number of foreign nationals have come to Iceland and drawn municipal financial assistance for years at a stretch. The payments are meant as an emergency measure for people who cannot support themselves by other means. The records indicate some recipients collected benefits without ever having worked in the country. The findings raise questions about how the municipal support system is being applied.
The Urriðaholt Sports Centre and its new swimming pool open to the public in Garðabær tomorrow. The municipality announced the date in a brief statement. The facility is located in the Urriðaholt district on the outskirts of Reykjavik's neighboring municipality.
The board of Iceland's VR trade union has raised serious concerns about the government's budget bill. It says the bill significantly lowers the chances that collective agreements in the private sector will stay in force. Union chair Halla Gunnarsdóttir has argued that workers in Iceland take a larger share of productivity gains than workers in countries where unions have been weakened or dismantled. VR presents that comparison as grounds for defending the current bargaining system.
A skydiving group connected to Jón Ingi Þorvaldsson honoured King Harald and set a Nordic record in the same jump. From 15,000 feet, the jumpers had only a few seconds to break apart from their first formation and rebuild into a second one where nobody could hold the same position as before. Five days had been set aside for the event, longer than the usual four, and the aim was to set records in two categories, one involving two separate formations in a single jump and the other three.
Icelanders traveling outside the European Economic Area will lose coverage for illness and accidents starting January 1. Parliament approved the amendment to the Health Insurance Act on June 1. From that date, anyone who falls sick or gets hurt in a country beyond the EEA will have to pay the costs themselves.
Halla Tómasdóttir, President of Iceland, attended the funeral of King Harald V of Norway yesterday.
Orkuveitan is preparing experimental drilling at Nesjavellir using a method that could make geothermal energy production possible in areas previously considered unsuitable for power generation. It could also produce several times more power from individual wells than current methods, significantly increasing Iceland’s energy supply.
Iceland's school pupils have fallen harder than anyone else. Since 2015, their results in the OECD's PISA comparison dropped further than in any of the more than 70 countries and territories measured. Nothing so far has managed to stop the slide.
Icelandair reports that all of its flights to London are running on schedule today. The airline cautioned, though, that conditions at the city's airports could still cause some delays. Travelers were advised to keep an eye on their departure times.
During the main hearing in the Höfðatorg case, the prosecution showed Reykjavík District Court video of a Land Rover being driven at high speed into a man in the parking garage beneath the building. In the recording, the victim is seen being thrown forcefully off the hood of the vehicle. The footage was presented as part of the evidence against the defendant.
Iceland's wage earners will pay ISK 3.1 billion more in personal income tax in 2027. The extra burden follows the government's decision to suspend the so-called productivity adjustment for next year. The projection rests on the assumptions in the budget bill, which expects the state to collect that additional sum.
Iceland's Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir has stood by her budget bill despite complaints about individual revenue and spending items. She acknowledged the frustration but argued that nobody gains from the state running a deficit. The country currently pays ISK 150 billion a year in interest, about a tenth of government expenditure, and she insisted the fiscal target will not move.