Latest news

A parade on Sumardagurinn fyrsti, the first day of summer.

Happy Icelandic First Day of Summer!

12:08 GMT For a long time after Iceland was settled the year was split into two seasons, winter and summer. The first day of summer is still celebrated in Iceland, and it’s today!

Sindri Þór Stefánsson escaped from Iceland on Wednesday morning taking a flight to Sweden.

Escaped prisoner was on same flight as Iceland's PM

yesterday The prisoner who escaped from the Sognið open prison was on the same flight out of Iceland as Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir. The PM was travelling to Sweden to meet with Nordic heads of state and the Indian Prime Minister.

Khaled Cairo leaving Reykjavik District Court today.

Man sentenced to 16 years for murder of woman in West Reykjavik in September

yesterday The Reykjavik District Court has sentenced Khaled Cairo to 16 years in prison for the murder of Sanita Brauna in September.

Danish rabbi Jair Melchior (second from the right).

Rabbi criticises ban on circumcision bill at circumcision conference in Reykjavik

yesterday "The matter is not a medical one. It's about the relationship between a minority and a majority," said Melchior who added that only 35- 40 Jews live in Iceland.

Prisoner escaped to Sweden

two days ago The prisoner who escaped from Sognið prison last night has escaped from Iceland. This has been confirmed by police to mbl.is. The prisoner left on a flight to Sweden at 07.34 this morning.

Police called as student threatens to shoot at school in a Facebook status update

17 Apr The Reykjavik Metropolitan Police apprehended a student at Fjölbrautarskólinn við Ármúla, a college in central Reykjavik this morning. The reason was that the student had written a Facebook status that stated, "One like and I'll shoot up my school."

Whaling vessels Hvalur 8 and Hvalur 9 docked at Reykjavik harbour.

Whaling in Iceland recommences and byproducts used for medical purposes

17 Apr Whaling has recommenced in Iceland and whaling company Hvalur hf has permission to hunt 161 fin whales this summer as well as using 20% of last year's quota. Hvalur hf. is working in cooperation with scientists at the Innovation Center in Iceland and the University of Iceland to use whale byproducts for medicinal use.

Police search for escaped prisoner

17 Apr Police in Reykjanes on the South West peninsula are searching for a prisoner who escaped from Sognið prison last night.

Iceland Monitor interviewed Brynjar Karl when he was twelve.

Autistic Icelandic teenager Brynjar and his gigantic Lego Titanic on CNN

16 Apr Icelandic teenager Brynjar Karl Birgisson started building a Lego model of the Titanic when he was eleven years old. His feat has now been featured on the CNN.

Death at Keflavik International Airport

16 Apr A foreign national travelling from Amsterdam to New York became ill and the plane had to land at Keflavik International Airport. Paramedics attended to the passenger who was pronounced dead moments later.

Iceland's smallest restaurants opens its doors

16 Apr Iceland's smallest restaurant to date only seats eleven people and to obtain a seat you have to book online.

SAR teams rescue tourists stuck on mountain

16 Apr Two tourists had to be rescued last night from the Botnsfjall mountain in Snæfellsnes in West Iceland. A national coastguard helicopter was also called out.

Spring temperatures today in Iceland

16 Apr Today is the warmest spring day yet in Iceland, with 14 degrees Celsius expected in the western part of the country.

Dagur B.Eggertsson, Mayor of Reykjavik who is a member of the Alliance Party, Hildur Björnsdóttir of the Independence Party, Sanna Magdalena Mörtudóttir from the socialist party, Diljá Ámundadóttir of Viðreisn, the restoration party, andStefán Pálsson of VG, the Left Green Alliance.

Reykjavik municipal elections: Candidates agree that public transport needs improvement

15 Apr The different parties running for the upcoming Reykjavik city elections in May met to discuss traffic and public transport in the city centre yesterday at Austurbæjarskóli.

Police in Reykjavik have to deal with all kinds of bizarre things.

Naked man in high speed car chase with Reykjavik police

15 Apr A man in east Reykjavik hit a pedestrian and then drove into a police vehicle and then proceeded to flee at high speed until he was a dead end at which point he ran from the car stark naked until police caught up with him.