News from Iceland - NFI

09/06/2026

NFI - 9, June 2026

“Two fires burned within him: the fire of sorrow and the fire of happiness.”

Vilhjalmur Arnason has informed the Speaker of the Althing of his resignation, having taken up his duties as mayor of Reykjanesbaer on June 2. Vilhjalmur has been a member of parliament for the Independence Party for the Southern Constituency since 2013 and was the deputy chairman of the parliamentary party.

Gunnlaugur Arni Sveinsson will be among the participants in this year's U.S. Open golf tournament after making it through a playoff tonight. He is the first Icelander to secure a spot in the men's U.S. Open.

Adalsteinn Leifsson, former State Mediator, will step in as State Mediator for a few days while State Mediator Astradur Haraldsson attends a Nordic consultation meeting of mediators.

Police in the capital area used an electric weapon last night but ultimately did not have to use it. A report was received of an ongoing burglary, but the person who reported it was arrested.

A group of people consisting of twelve members of the Socialist Party of Iceland object to the call for a meeting and the decisions made at the party's general meeting that took place over the weekend, June 6–7, and say it was planned in secret.
The actors Armundur Ernst Backman and Ellen Margret Baehrenz have put their apartment on sale, located on Grandavegur in the West of Reykjavík. The 99 square meter apartment is priced at 88.9 million ISK. The couple have created a beautiful home in the apartment with their two sons. Beautiful floating floors in the living room and kitchen look great against the light wood and white furnishings. The apartment has a calm atmosphere, while plants and white and light tones add to the home.

08/06/2026

"When everything is turned upside down, everything works out somehow, even if many doubt it for a while.”

07/06/2026

06/06/2026

NFI - 6, June 2026

“No one should offend the poets, their revenge is shame.”

Production of the first mass-produced Icelandic car is beginning. It is described as a cross between a minibus and a super SUV. The first units are expected to be delivered in twelve months.

The Voice of the Young People has reported on a embezzlement case within the party that arose early last year. Suspicions arose that Saevar Thor Birgisson, then a municipal councillor and the party's treasurer, had siphoned off considerable funds and the matter was reported to the police. The Voice of the Young People has had representatives in the Grindavik municipal council for the past two electoral terms.

There is progress in wage negotiations between Icelandair and the Icelandic Commercial Pilots' Association (FÍA), according to the state mediator.

An individual in the capital area was charged last night for "abusing" his pet, as described in the Capital Area Police's summary of the night's activities.

The Icelandic Aircraft Engineers' Association, FVFI, has called on Icelandair executives to abandon their plans to move specialist and technical jobs out of the country in a letter to the company. A statement from the company says that these are valuable jobs and people who have extensive knowledge of the company's fleet.

The British crime novelist Ann Cleeves showed up unannounced at Penninn Eymundsson's bookstore in isafjordur and offered to sign books. Cleeves, who has been translated into Icelandic 21 times, was traveling on a cruise ship that stopped in the town.

05/06/2026

NFI - 5, June 2026

“The safest thing is to burn the books.”

Margret Fridriksdottir has been ordered to pay a fine of 200 thousand isl/krona to the state treasury for her comments about District Judge Barbara Björnsdóttir. It was not required that the comments be declared null and void, and they stand. Among other things, Margrét called Barbara a "libertine slut”.

More than half of the population is satisfied with the work of Halla Tom, the President of Iceland. Satisfaction with her work has increased so far this year.

Eleven employees have been laid off at Kvika Bank after it launched a streamlining measure. The total number of full-time positions has been reduced by eighteen so far this year.

The Southern Slaughterhouse (SS) intends to stop halal slaughtering of lambs.

A number of well-known figures from Icelandic society are planning to open a new café in Reykjavík's west end, where the Kjotborg (Meat City) store will be located until later this month. One of the prospective owners says that they are a group of friends who have long had the idea of ​​ensuring that something would be done in the premises if Kjotborg (Meat City) were to close.

The Country Court has upheld the district court's ruling acquitting the Icelandic state of all claims by nine protesters, who believed the police had used unnecessary force at the Skuggasund protest site in 2024.

Alvotech's share price rose by 22 percent after the company announced that it had resubmitted applications for marketing authorization in the United States for analogues of Simponi, Simponi Aria and Eylea.

04/06/2026

NFI - 4, June 2026

"A country should be built by law, but destroyed by lawlessness.”

Vilhjalmur Arnason officially took office as mayor of Reykjanesbaer yesterday, June 2, at the first municipal council meeting of the new majority. He is therefore simultaneously a member of parliament for the South Constituency and mayor of Reykjanesbaer for a few days.

A fire broke out in the engine room of a fishing boat in Breidafjorður around noon yesterday. There was one person on board the boat. The Coast Guard helicopter was called out.

Aslaug Arna Sigurbjornsdottir has decided to step down from her position as a member of parliament. She has been a member of parliament since 2016 and has served as Minister of Justice, Minister of Science, Industry and Innovation, and Minister of Higher Education, Industry and Innovation. Áslaug said goodbye in a cream-white dress that is both summery and cute.

The police in the capital area are warning of fraudulent messages being sent to numerous Icelandic phone numbers at the moment in the name of the traffic police. Reportedly, the police have never received so many reports of online fraud in such a short time as now.

District Prosecutor Olafur Hauksson files a complaint against Gudrun Bjorg Birgisdottir at the office. She is accused of having withdrawn funds as a trustee of a deceased estate, and it is suspected that this is not her only offence of this kind.

The first windmill is built in Vaðöoduveri. It is one hundred and fifty meters high including the blades, or about the size of two Hallgrimskirkja churches. The diameter of the blade circle is 138 meters.

03/06/2026

NFI - 3, June 2026

“I am no expert on surrealism.”

A group that includes academics, media professionals, artists, and church members has requested permission from the Thingvellir Committee to take samples from the remains of the national poet Jónas Hallgrimsson, who rest there in the national cemetery.

The People's Party is estimated to have four percent support according to Gallup's national pulse, and therefore if elections would be held the party would be outside parliament today.

Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson, the leader of the Centre Party, says he is more "cute" than Nigel Farage, leader of the British Reform Party. This was revealed in a light-hearted but sharp exchange on Spursmal (Questions), where the state of the old political parties, the development of the Independence Party and whether the Centre Party has a political counterpart in Britain were discussed.

Dagur B. Eggertsson, the former major of Reykjavik City and now a member of parliament for the Come Together Array, says that others than himself must run for the position of deputy chairman of the party. He did not raise the issue as the public's attitude towards him as the new deputy chairman is being examined.

Icelandic audiences will have the opportunity to immerse themselves in decades of great songs when the show Celebrating George Michael comes to Akureyri and Reykjavík later this year, performed by the amazing singer and a band that includes the original Wham! bassist.

Hildur Bjornsdóttir, leader of the Independence Party, was confirmed as the new mayor of Reykjavík at the first city council meeting of the election term this afternoon. "It suits me really well, it's beautiful weather and a good day for a new era in Reykjavík," Hildur said before the meeting when asked how her day was going.

01/06/2026

NFI - 1, June 2026

“A small nation, with a few tamed tongues.”

A man and woman who went out to enjoy the weather today at Reynisvatn in Grafarholt went to the emergency room after being bitten by loose dogs. The dogs were two Border Collies, but their owner had a third dog on a leash while walking by Reynisvatn in Grafarholt.

The board of directors of Brim hf. has agreed to purchase all shares in Lysi hf. The purchase price is ISK 20 billion, which is ISK ten billion less than Brim's purchase offer announced in September. Brim has also announced the sale of its shares in two companies.

Over the past decade, the proportion of students reading Brennu-Njals saga as part of their compulsory matriculation examination has plummeted. About half of upper secondary schools have removed the saga, long considered a staple of Icelandic literary heritage, from their reading lists, either in whole or in part.

Oculis' share price has fallen by more than half since the opening of the Stock Exchange following bad news about the company's drug development on Friday evening.

American scientists will use balloons to make NASA-funded measurements of the atmosphere over Iceland. The measurements will be carried out during the solar eclipse in August and will focus on studying the eclipse's effects on the lowest layer of the troposphere. The scientists have been assisted by the University of Iceland, Saevar Helgi Bragason and other experts in Iceland.

A sharp earthquake struck the southwestern corner of the country at 1:45 p.m. The earthquake originated at Mosfellsheiði, just north of the turnoff from Suðurlandsvegur to Threngslar.
The earthquake was about 4.5 in magnitude according to the first measurements by the Icelandic Meteorological Office. It is also believed to have occurred at a depth of about 4.5 kilometers.
A number of aftershocks have been recorded.

31/05/2026

NFI - 31, May 2026

"When everything is turned upside down, everything works out somehow, even if many doubt it for a while.”

Rental companies could swallow up the housing market in Iceland if nothing is done to improve the market situation, according to real estate agents. The proportion of apartments owned by individuals is rapidly declining.

Six Icelandair flights have been canceled today due to a shortage of flight crew in the cockpit, Asdis ÝY Petursdottir, Icelandair's head of communications, confirmed to the news agency.

A man held in Hólmsheidi prison died last night. The prison director Ragna Bjarnadóttir confirmed this to the press office but said she could not provide further details about the circumstances of the death or further information about the deceased.

The chairman of the Icelandic Teachers' Union welcomes a new report on stress and working conditions in primary schools. Calls for better support for teachers from municipalities need to be responded to, and demands for schools' involvement in raising children have increased.

Runners from 38 countries are now coming to the country to compete in one of the country's largest off-road races in Hveragerdi, "Hengill Ultra", with around a thousand runners expected to participate.

The Icelandic men's national football team narrowly lost to Japan, 1-0, in a friendly match in Tokyo today. Japan's winning goal came in the 87th minute.

30/05/2026

NFI - 30, May 2026

“Put the body in the freezer, Ebenezer”

Reverend Kristjan Bjornsson resigned as the ordination bishop in Skalholt after a woman with whom he is related filed a sexual assault complaint with the South Iceland Police.

Johannes Thor Skulason aka John the Baptist, CEO of the Icelandic Tourism Association, says the good situation within the industry over the summer and the solar eclipse on August 12th are a great boon. However, uncertainty will prevail in the fall.

In a statement issued by Islandsbanki (Bank of Iceland), people are warned about fraudsters who have recently sent out emails in the bank's name. They trick people into logging in with electronic credentials and providing security codes.

Dadi Már Kristofersson, Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs, agrees with the words of Bjarni Benediktsson, CEO of the Confederation of Icelandic Employers, in an interview with Morgunblaðid (Morning Paper)yesterday that the Icelandic economy has become unbalanced.

“Astin er” (Love is) won most Eddas’ (Icelandic Oscar) on the award festival last evening.

Today the forecast is 5-13 m/s from the northeast and east, but 10-18 on the southeast coast. Rain with patches. The Meteorological Office's meteorologist's thoughts say that the cold from the last few days is still lingering in the east of Iceland and there is a chance of sleet with snowfall in the mountains.