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News from Iceland

Iceland Review,  25 December 2023 10:30 AM
Christmas Anxiety Rising Among Icelanders
According to Icelandic folklore, the Christmas Cat will eat those who don’t receive new clothes to wear on Christmas Eve. If that’s not enough to worry about, the ogress Grýla snatches mischievous children to cook in her pot, while her 13 sons, the Yule Lads, harass the island’s inhabitants and pull nighttime pranks as the […] more

Iceland Review,  25 December 2023 8:41 AM
2023 in Review: Nature
As the year draws to a close, Iceland Review brings you a summary of the biggest stories in community, culture, and nature in 2023. Here are some of the biggest nature-related stories from the year, which included two volcanic eruptions in Reykjanes. Grindavík Evacuated It has been a time of upheaval for the Southwest Iceland […] more

mbl.is,  24 December 2023 6:00 PM
Merry Christmas!
Iceland Monitor wishes you all a very merry Christmas and a happy new year! more

mbl.is,  24 December 2023 2:00 PM
Yule lads leading the Christmas parade
The Christmas parade last night. The annual Christmas parade at Þorláksmessa was held in Hafnarfjörður last night. The walk began at 19 o’clock. The walk was from Flensborg harbor, more specifically from Ægir 220 near the small boat harbor. more

mbl.is,  24 December 2023 1:00 PM
Tradition to go swimming on Christmas
Árbæjarlaug swimming pool is closed over the holidays which the regular are not too happy about. “It’s extremely popular with families to come here on Christmas Eve and has become a tradition for many, especially for people with younger children. We also have a lot of regular guests who come here at 6:30 on weekdays, senior citizens and people who are hanging out. So it’s a great social center,” says Sigríður B. Guðmundsdóttir, swimming pool manager at Suðurbæjarlaug swimming pool in Hafnarfjörður. more

mbl.is,  24 December 2023 11:22 AM
Avalanche fell into the airport in Ísafjörður
The picture is taken by Eyrarhlíð by Ísafjörður where the avalanche fell last night. An avalanche fell just after midnight near Ísafjörður in the airport area. This is confirmed by Minney Sigurdardóttir, a natural haard specialist at the Icelandic Met Office, to mbl.is. more

Iceland Review,  24 December 2023 11:15 AM
Wave of Respiratory Illness in Iceland
Many people in Iceland are sick with respiratory illnesses and the situation is expected to continue. The peak of infections has not been reached, according to Chief Epidemiologist Guðrún Aspelund, as fewer people than expected received vaccinations for Covid and influenza this fall. “It’s been Covid, influenza, RSV, and other respiratory infections and viruses,” she […] more

Iceland Review,  24 December 2023 9:37 AM
Merry Christmas from the Iceland Review Team!
Icelanders have several Christmas traditions that may seem unique or peculiar to outsiders. They include welcoming the 13 Yule Lads throughout December, listening to the Christmas Eve mass on the radio, and making laufabrauð with the whole family. Still, like elsewhere across the world, the heart of Icelandic Christmas is gathering with loved ones and […] more

mbl.is,  23 December 2023 8:30 PM
Gingerbread houses taken to the next level
Heba Guðrún Nielsen and her ambitious gingerbread creations based on landmark structures in Paris and London. Heba Guðrún Niel­sen does not make the ordinary gingerbread houses to celebrate Christmas. She decided to make this holiday tradition an architectural feat in baking and decided to make the ginger bread Eiffel Tower, the most impressive one that we have seen here in Iceland. The Eif­fel Tower is the iconic landmark of Paris, France and she had so much fun doing it that she decided to add another gingerbread creation this year. She topped herself and made the Tower Bridge in London from gingerbread with a magnificent and detailed finishes. more

mbl.is,  23 December 2023 3:30 PM
What is the deal with this "jólabókaflóð"?
„Happy jólabókaflóð" is what the American booklovers say. “This romantic idea of us cuddling with cocoa in wooden huts in a land of fire and ice appeals to many people,” says Heiðar Ingi Svansson, chairman of the Icelandic Publishers Association, who has been increasingly interested in the Icelandic Christmas "Jólabókaflóð" in recent years by booklovers all over the world. more

mbl.is,  23 December 2023 2:24 PM
The Mayor addresses the residents of Grindavík and sends a holiday greeting
The mayor of Grindavík asks the residents to be careful in his Christmas greeting. Fannar Jónasson, mayor of Grindavík, will address the town tonight and send out a Christmas greeting. He says he admires the resilience he has witnessed with the town’s people in recent weeks. more

Iceland Review,  23 December 2023 9:24 AM
Bus Fares to Rise by 11 Percent
Strætó, the public transport company which operates city buses in the Reykjavík capital region, has announced a new price structure. The change comes into effect on January 8 and bus fares will rise by 11 percent on average, Viðskiptablaðið reports. A single fare will now cost ISK 630 [$4.60, €4.20], up from ISK 570 [$4.20, […] more

mbl.is,  22 December 2023 5:50 PM
Residents of Grindavík can be home on Christmas
Þorbjörg Halldórsdóttir and her grandchild, Tinna Dögg Siggeirsdóttir, visited a grave of a loved one in Grindavík yesterday. Now hey can stay at home in their town over Christmas. The residents of Grindavík will be allowed to stay in town from tomorrow afternoon without any restrictions. This was reported by the Chief of Police in Suðurnes. more

The Icelandic Meteorological Office,  22 December 2023 3:28 PM
Unabated ground uplift at Svartsengi
Updated 20 December at 18:50 UTCThe eruption that began in the Sundhnúksgígar crater row on 18 December started with considerable force, and the warning period was short. About 90 minutes passed from the first signs of seismicity until the eruption began. The eruption occurred on the magma intrusion that formed on 10 November. The magma is sourced most likely from beneath Svartsengi, where the land has risen repeatedly since 2020.In the last 24 hours, the highest activity in the eruption has remained around the middle of the fissure that opened on 18 December. Seismic activity has been relatively steady, and there have been little changes in deformation since the eruption began. Considering this, the Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO) assesses that the likelihood of a new eruption forming without warning nearby Grindavík has decreased. Therefore, IMO has issued a new hazard assessment map that will take effect tomorrow, Thursday, 21 December at 7:00 UTC.more

Reykjavík Grapevine,  22 December 2023 1:44 PM
Grapevine New Music: Svört Jól, Egill Sæbjörnsson, Benni Hemm Hemm & More
Well, well, well, only a few more days to go. Our sincerest apologies for not supplying you with your weekly... more

Reykjavík Grapevine,  22 December 2023 1:41 PM
Eruption Diminishing, Magma Collecting Beneath Svartsengi
A mere hours after volcanologists claimed the Sundhnúksgígar eruption to be over, the Icelandic Met Office reported magma collecting beneath... more

mbl.is,  22 December 2023 12:41 PM
Thinks it's over but the next days will be indicative of what happens next
The volcanologist Þorvaldur Þórðarson thinks that the eruption at Sundhnúkagígar crater row is over, but the next days will determine what happens next. “I believe this eruption is over,” says Þorvaldur Þórðarson, a professor of volcanology, asked about the Met Office’s announcement yesterday that no eruptive activity is visible at the eruption site and that it appears the crater has been extinguished. more

Reykjavík Grapevine,  21 December 2023 5:35 PM
Grapevine Events: Reykjavík Peace Walk, Gigs & So Much More
We know that right now all you can think of is finishing all your deadlines and going on last-minute Christmas... more

Reykjavík Grapevine,  21 December 2023 5:28 PM
Volcanologist Claims Latest Eruption Over
On the morning of December 21, the Icelandic Met Office reported dwindling volcanic activity in the latest eruption on the... more

mbl.is,  21 December 2023 4:00 PM
The Grindavík mayor: Too early to call
Jónasson feels it is too early to determine that the eruption is over until there has been a longer period of rest in the area. The mayor of Grindavík, Fannar Jónasson, says it’s too early to declare the eruption at Sundhnúkagígar crater row finished, but an announcement from the Icelandic Met Office this morning stated that no eruption activity is visible, and Sigríður Magnea Óskarsdóttir, a nature expert at the Met Office, told mbl.is before noon that the eruption is thus closed. more

mbl.is,  21 December 2023 2:00 PM
The eruption has died down
The volcanic eruption at the Sundhnúkagígar crater row has died down. more

mbl.is,  21 December 2023 1:07 PM
No activity visible this morning
Gosmyndir 2023 No eruptive activity is visible at the fissures north of Grindavík and the activity in the vents seem to have gone out. This is confirmed by scientists from the Icelandic Met Office who flew over the eruption site at ten o’clock today. Then there is an employee of Efla present at Sýlingafell monitoring the site. more

Reykjavík Grapevine,  20 December 2023 12:00 PM
Recent Eruption Possibly Dying Out
Starting on the evening of December 18, the recent eruption on the Reykjanes Peninsula has shown signs of decreasing intensity.... more

The Icelandic Meteorological Office,  03 October 2023 4:10 PM
The uplift in Askja has slowed down
There is evidence of recent changes in the deformation data (cGNSS) around Askja. The deformation rate has decreased since the beginning of August and the signal has flattened at several stations within or around the caldera. At this stage it is uncertain what process is causing this pressure reduction, possibly the source of the inflation has been shut off or it could be related to an outflow of magmatic fluids.more

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News in English are provided by Iceland Review, Reykjavík Grapevine, mbl.is and Icelandic Meteorological Office.
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