Iceland headlines
RÚV English · Iceland · 2026-09-18T16:30:27+00:00
Leslie Meyer is a knitting enthusiast based in Seattle, whose love of Iceland matches her love for all things woollen. She is in Iceland from next week for events in Kópavogur library , the town's Gunnhann Studio , and Selfoss, for Íslenska Ullarvikan - Icelandic Wool Week . Darren spoke to Leslie ahead of her trip. RÚV English Radio is heard around the world and in Iceland, and covers everything Icelandic, in English. Let us know where you're reading and listening to RÚV English - english@ruv.is Find this and previous shows & podcasts here , Spotify , Apple , and all podcast places. Find us on Facebook too. RÚV English Radio, from Iceland's national broadcasting service, RÚV .
Reykjavík Grapevine · Iceland · 2026-09-18T16:16:29+00:00
Solo travelers to a foreign land often ponder their future, or escape a relationship. Sometimes horny Gen-Zers and Millennials revel in online dating’s anonymity to indulge in one-night stand/s. Anorgasmia: All the Things We Do to Survive opens with a sex scene. Sam (Edward Hayter) looking bored, while his Tinder pick on top climaxes…
RÚV English · Iceland · 2026-09-18T15:13:08+00:00
In August, the innviðaráðherra (Minister of Infrastructure) formally asked Fjarskiptastofa (Electronic Communications Office of Iceland) to review how the phase-out of the 2G and 3G mobile networks had proceeded in Iceland. Fjarskiptastofa submitted a 55-page report to the minister, who presented it to the government this morning. Public complaints about the shutdown of 2G and 3G have mainly concerned two issues: poorer mobile phone coverage and problems with emergency calls to Neyðarlínan (Emergency Line). One of the points made in the report is that Fjarskiptastofa believes there has been a misunderstanding about its powers to halt the phase-out. The phase-out was initiated by the owners of the networks, Iceland's telecommunications companies. At no point did the agency have the power to intervene and stop the planned shutdown of the networks. Under the law, public telecommunications networks are not defined as public safety networks, and Fjarskiptastofa does not have the legal authority to prohibit telecommunications companies from phasing out networks. The report states: "It was not considered that Fjarskiptastofa had the authority to require companies to operate older technological solutions for longer than they considered economical and/or feasible, including with regard to maintenance and access to necessary spare parts." Its role was solely to coordinate the timetable for phasing out 2G and 3G services. "The timing of the shutdown of 2G and 3G services is entirely a matter for the telecommunications companies. They decided to close both 2G and 3G services at the end of 2025, by which point almost four years will have passed since plans for the shutdown were publicly announced in consultation with Fjarskiptastofa." Proposal for Fjarskiptastofa to be given powers to intervene Fjarskiptastofa proposes improvements and next steps in the final section of the report. It wants consideration to be given to whether there is reason to grant it direct intervention powe
Reykjavík Grapevine · Iceland · 2026-09-18T15:02:17+00:00
You know the rules. Name that sheep. Tell us the name of this specific sheep. Email us at sheep@grapevine.is. If you get the right name, and you’re in Iceland, you win a hot dog, made in part with sheep. One guess per email address please. Not in Iceland? Guess the right name, and you’ll get…
RÚV English · Iceland · 2026-09-18T13:09:43+00:00
Police are warning about text messages being sent to people in the name of Iceland Revenue and Customs. The messages claim that a system review of vehicles shows an outstanding balance of 3,450 ISK. The messages say that recipients must settle the amount within 48 hours to avoid restrictions on vehicle registration and include a fraudulent link purporting to be from Iceland Revenue and Customs. Police are asking people not to click the link, or anything else connected with the messages.
RÚV English · Iceland · 2026-09-18T12:57:26+00:00
Tom Berendsen, utanríkisráðherra Hollands (Dutch Foreign Minister), says that although Icelanders rejected accession talks with the European Union, they did not reject European cooperation. The foreign ministers of the Benelux countries - Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg - made a joint official visit to Iceland yesterday. They spoke at length about the recent referendum and said Iceland had been in an excellent position to secure a good agreement, but that the will of the Icelandic people should be respected. Berendsen says it is important for the European Union to strengthen its ties with Canada, the United Kingdom, Iceland and Norway. Ways of doing so would need to be found. What we call it is not all that important. The most important thing is to stand together in the face of challenges relating to security, energy, trade and our values.
RÚV English · Iceland · 2026-09-18T12:46:31+00:00
Capital Area police have solved a number of break-ins at poultry and pig farms committed this summer. They say a man in his 20s was arrested in connection with the break-ins, and he has admitted guilt. The break-ins and property damage the man has admitted to took place at Stjörnugrís premises in Kjalarnes and the Reykjabú poultry farm in Mosfellsbær. He also admitted breaking into a poultry farm and a pig farm in South Iceland and Kjalarnes. The break-in at Dalsbú in Mosfellsdal has not yet been solved and remains under investigation. Police say that investigation is progressing well.
RÚV English · Iceland · 2026-09-18T12:42:25+00:00
Wolt made a profit of more than 107 million ISK last year and nearly doubled its revenue year-on-year. The company's total revenue amounted to more than 1.24 billion ISK, compared with just over 630 million ISK the previous year. The company's board is pleased with its revenue growth and profitability last year. This is stated in Wolt's newly published annual accounts, which were submitted to the annual accounts register of Iceland Revenue and Customs on 15 September. Wolt specialises in delivering food and consumer goods to individuals and businesses. Wolt in Iceland is an Icelandic subsidiary of the international Wolt group and is part of the US corporate group DoorDash. Wolt was originally founded in Finland in 2014 and now operates around the world. In 2022, the Wolt group was acquired by DoorDash, which is listed on the US stock market. Couriers stopped work Wolt has been the subject of considerable discussion in recent days after couriers working for the company stopped work in protest at the pay they receive as contractors. Sixty Wolt couriers stopped work on Wednesday and gathered outside Wolt's offices in Ármúli, as RÚV reported. One of the couriers, Gheorhhe Miha, told RÚV that couriers' pay had fallen by half since the beginning of the year: "We're being paid about half as much as we were at the beginning of this year. What happened was that Wolt started reducing the pay every month. We want to know why. Delivery costs haven't fallen, and neither has the price of food, but we're still being penalised and we don't know why." Trade union leaders have joined the debate over Wolt couriers' pay and conditions. Sólveig Anna Jónsdóttir, chair of Efling, said yesterday that the deterioration in the couriers' terms was disgraceful. Around 600 couriers in total work as contractors for Wolt in Iceland. Wolt's management has said in a statement that payments to couriers have remained stable over the past year and disputes the couriers' claims about the extent of the
RÚV English · Iceland · 2026-09-18T12:24:06+00:00
Guðmundur Ingi Kristinsson, former Minister of Education and Children and former deputy chair of Flokkur fólksins (People's Party), says a conversation between party leader Inga Sæland, who now heads Guðmundur Ingi's former ministry, and his wife, prompted him to leave the party. He says Inga demanded to be allowed into the hospital room where Guðmundur was recovering from heart surgery he underwent in December last year. Her purpose was to make clear to him that he would have to step down as minister, he says. "She thought I'd been away far too long - nine days - and that this couldn't continue. I simply had to resign as minister," Guðmundur says. Asked to resign on 27 December "What also struck me, and later my wife as well, was that this was on 27 December. Between Christmas and New Year, neither Alþingi nor anything else is going on, so there was no urgency to do this. It could perfectly well have waited until I was at least back home." "Shortly afterwards, my assistant sent me a message saying that Inga's assistant had called her, and she sent me a text telling me how I should resign. "That really started to bother me, because my assistant at the time was the wife of Ragnar Þór Ingólfsson, who was supposed to get my position when I left. At that point, I felt the assistants had gone well beyond their remit. I thought to myself that this way of working simply couldn't continue. "So I decided not to get into any fight over it, but simply to leave completely. That was mainly for health reasons, because I'm not going to put my health on the line. Not for a ministerial post, not for anything. "I wasn't going to use some text from my assistant to resign. I didn't need that, and I then drafted a statement with the help of other people whom I wanted involved in writing it. That's how it happened." Nobody contacted him Didn't you trust your assistant? "I just didn't think this was part of her job." You specifically mention this particular assistant and point out that sh
Reykjavík Grapevine · Iceland · 2026-09-18T12:04:15+00:00
Every creator, publisher, writer and musician over 30 seemed present at a packed Háskólabíó to watch composer, keyboardist, jazz musician, classicist, beat maker, film scorer, and master producer Magnús Johann celebrate his 30th birthday. This is no small feat: the theatre seats about 1000 people, and to my eyes not only was every seat full,…
RÚV English · Iceland · 2026-09-18T10:04:48+00:00
A bluefin tuna was found washed ashore at Leiruvog in Akureyri last Friday, a week after an ocean sunfish was found nearby. Akureyri.net quotes Magnús Víðisson and Hreiðar Þór Valtýsson, fisheries science researchers at Háskólinn á Akureyri (University of Akureyri), as saying it is remarkable to find these species in Eyjafjörður - and perhaps extraordinary to encounter both within such a short period. Both species generally live in considerably warmer waters. Hreiðar Þór notes that the ocean is currently going through a warm period, with sea temperatures of around 10°C. It is at times like these that such rare visitors, which normally live further south, are most likely to appear. He says, however, that there are no records of bluefin tuna having previously been found in Eyjafjörður, although they are occasionally caught south of Iceland. He also mentions examples from Ísafjarðardjúp and Vopnafjörður. Bluefin tuna is regarded as a delicacy and is among the most valuable seafood in the world. A Japanese sushi restaurant chain bought a 234 kg fish for the equivalent of just under 400 million ISK in January, a record price. Ocean sunfish can grow to an enormous size and are considered inedible. Magnús Víðisson wonders whether the arrival of the fish could be a sign of changes in the ocean, just as the climate is changing, meaning that unusual visitors may not seem quite so unfamiliar in future. Someone once said things come in threes, so we're eagerly waiting to hear whether a third unusual species turns up sometime soon. Iceland is authorised to catch 254.13 tonnes of bluefin tuna following an allocation by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas earlier this year. The quota was increased by 13% from the previous year. The Government of Iceland said at the time that Icelandic fishing companies had been fishing for eastern Atlantic bluefin tuna for around a decade. All bluefin tuna caught incidentally as bycatch had also been recorded. Under
RÚV English · Iceland · 2026-09-18T09:59:20+00:00
Framkvæmdasýslan - Ríkiseignir (the Government Construction Contracting Agency - Government Property Agency) and Icelandic commercial property firm Reitir, have finalised an agreement for the company to build a 9,100-square-metre nursing home for 140 residents in Akureyri. The aim is for the nursing home to open before the end of 2030. According to a statement from Reitir, design and preparatory work on the building will now begin. It will be built using a combination of prefabricated and precast elements. The method is intended to shorten construction time and increase flexibility. The state will lease the building from Reitir for 25 years after it is completed. Heilsuvernd, a privately operated healthcare company, will run the nursing home.
RÚV English · Iceland · 2026-09-18T09:52:59+00:00
Both Akureyri and Norðurþing Municipality have expressed an interest in bringing Tækniskólinn (Technical College) to North Iceland. They are the fourth and fifth municipalities to make overtures to the school. Tækniskólinn had planned to build in Hafnarfjörður, but after it emerged that the town was unable to fulfil its commitment to provide a site, Mosfellsbær, Reykjavík and Reykjanesbær have all expressed an interest in hosting the school. Berglind Ósk Guðmundsdóttir, mayor of Akureyri, commented on the matter on her Facebook page yesterday. She wrote, "Why not develop Tækniskólinn in Akureyri and create a strong centre for university-level technical education outside the capital area? This is something people have been calling for for a long time. It would bring education, expertise, jobs and opportunities out into the regions. A genuine regional development policy in one decisive move. We here at Akureyri Municipality are absolutely open to that conversation, and I know we would find Tækniskólinn a good location in our thriving municipality." She also links the prospect of developing Tækniskólinn in Akureyri with proposals from a working group appointed by the Minister of Justice to reduce the number of MPs representing Norðausturkjördæmi (Northeast Constituency). "When most of the administration is in Reykjavík, state institutions are there, services are there and more and more jobs are there, it is not entirely obvious that the next step towards strengthening communities across the country should be to increase the capital area's weight in Alþingi. But this discussion can easily be turned around. If the government wants to demonstrate in practice that it is not the government of the capital area, but the government of the whole country, then opportunities are everywhere. They are staring us in the face." Norðurþing offers cheaper plots than the capital area Bergþór Bjarnason, chief executive of Norðurþing Municipality, struck a similar note when RÚV spoke to h
RÚV English · Iceland · 2026-09-18T09:46:04+00:00
"I'm not particularly keen on them," says Gylfi Ólafsson, mayor of Ísafjarðarbær, about proposals to change the distribution of parliamentary seats. The proposals are intended both to ensure a balance between the number of votes and the distribution of parliamentary seats among parties, and to move four seats from Norðausturkjördæmi (Northeast Constituency) and Norðvesturkjördæmi (Northwest Constituency) to Suðvesturkjördæmi (Southwest Constituency) to make the weight of votes more equal. Gylfi says he understands the reasoning, but does not like the prospect of the already small number of MPs representing Norðvesturkjördæmi (Northwest Constituency) being reduced further. He was speaking on Rás 1. "Overall, I don't feel good about this." Gylfi says the wider context is that Alþingi is not the only institution governing Iceland, and that the executive and judicial branches must also be considered. The executive branch is entirely based in the capital area, as are Hæstiréttur (Supreme Court) and the headquarters of most major government institutions. It has been difficult to get the headquarters of institutions moved out into the regions, or to have institutional jobs based outside the capital, and so things are gradually being sucked towards Reykjavík. He says that not only is a large proportion of government employment based in the capital area, but so is a large proportion of the best-paid work. I would rather look at this in the wider context: where is Iceland's system of government located? It is all very heavily concentrated in the capital area. Naturally, the capital is the capital by definition. Gylfi says looking only at the number of MPs means considering just a small part of the bigger picture. He hopes politicians will be able to discuss the issue on a broader basis. Asked whether there was reason to change the constituencies, Gylfi says making them smaller would not be a good idea. There would be a risk that some parties would have no connection with cert
Reykjavík Grapevine · Iceland · 2026-09-17T13:54:00+00:00
In 1995 I was turning 17 and had plans to attend Þjóðhátíð í Eyjum – a notoriously boozy outdoor festival in Vestmannaeyjar – with two of my friends. Plans which my mother disapproved of. However, at the time, people turned legally competent at 16 so there was no way of stopping us short of persuasion.…
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