News from Iceland


Icelandic National Broadcasting Service (RUV),       04 April 2025 4:31 PM
RÚV English Radio - CHESS IN THE CAPITAL: REYKJAVÍK OPEN 2025

The Reykjavík Open 2025 will bring chess players from fifty countries to Harpa from next Tuesday.

Darren went there to hear more.

RÚV English Radio is heard freely around the world and in Iceland, and covers everything Icelandic, in English.

Let us know where you're listening to and reading RÚV English - or just get in touch with comments and ideas - email more


Icelandic National Broadcasting Service (RUV),       04 April 2025 3:15 PM
Defence asks that maximum sentence not apply in Culture Night case

The main proceedings in the case of the boy charged with a stabbing attack, which resulted in the death of Bryndís Klara Birgisdóttir, concluded today at Reykjavík District Court.

The boy is also charged with two counts of attempted murder, for having stabbed two other youths in the same attack.

The boy is still under the age of legal majority. The trial was held behind closed doors due to the young age of […] more


Icelandic National Broadcasting Service (RUV),       04 April 2025 3:11 PM
Signs of land rising again at Svartsengi

GPS measurements show signs that land has started rising again at Svartsengi. This is stated in an announcement from the Veðurstofa Íslands (Icelandic Met Office).

“It is most likely continued magma accumulation beneath Svartsengi that is causing the uplift, though part of it is due to the effects of the formation of the magma intrusion on 1 April. This is because when magma intrusions form, they push the Earth’s crust outward on both […] more


mbl.is,   04 April 2025 2:00 PM
Iceland hit with 10% U.S. import tariffs
The Minister of Finance says it is never a good idea to impose tariffs on Icelandic products. Daði Már Kristófersson, Iceland’s Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs, has responded to the U.S. government’s decision to impose a 10% import tariff on Icelandic products, calling the move “not good news” — but also noting that Iceland may have fared better than many of its trade partners. more


Icelandic National Broadcasting Service (RUV),       04 April 2025 1:11 PM
Grateful that the town is open again

Access has been reopened for all traffic to and from Grindavík. The town was evacuated when a fissure opened near the settlement on Tuesday.

The chair of the municipal council says it is important that life in the town returns to normal.

Residents and company employees are staying within the danger zone at their own risk, according to a statement from the lögreglustjóri á Suðurnesjum (Chief of Police of […] more


​At the NATO foreign ministers’ meeting in Brussels, discussions have centred on increasing defence and security expenditures among member nations. The meeting comes in context to the current state of global politics. It is no secret that the United States under President Trump has been vocal in urging European nations to strengthen their financial commitments […] more


mbl.is,   04 April 2025 11:53 AM
Earthquakes near Kleifarvatn shake Southwest Iceland
View over Kleifarvatn Lake, close to the epicenter of the earthquakes. A powerful earthquake struck near Kleifarvatn Lake at 6:03 pm yesterday, shaking the southwest corner of Iceland and being widely felt in the capital area. A series of aftershocks followed, several of which were also felt across the region. more


Icelandic National Broadcasting Service (RUV),       04 April 2025 10:31 AM
Growing NATO pressure on Iceland to increase defence spending

The discussion around increased defence and security spending among NATO member states has been prominent at the ongoing NATO foreign ministers’ meeting in Brussels—especially the United States’ vocal demand that European members do more.

Icelandic authorities are feeling this pressure, according to Þorgerður Katrín, who is attending the meeting.

“The headwind is getting stronger, shall we say,” […] more