Iceland 

The Order of the Falcon, Iceland's highest national honor established in 1921 and awarded twice a year, has been confered on fourteen Icelanders on New Year’s Day; for the first time the Office of the President announced number of recipients in advance

Federation of fishers disagrees with new mackerel agreement that reduces Iceland’s share, pointing out that the agreement does not constitute a comprehensive coastal states agreement, as both Greenland and the European Union are excluded

Iceland’s air traffic control system faces disruption from 25 November; Air Traffic Controllers Association will impose an overtime ban following a year of negotiations with Isavia and the Confederation of Icelandic Employers without a new contract

A snowstorm in Reykjavík transformed in thick ice ridges on main roads as traffic pressed the snow before it could be removed; nearby municipalities were less affected

Laugarás Lagoon opened to the public; the new bathing facility extends over around one thousand square meters and offers a view over the river Hvítá and the surrounding countryside

Airline Play collapse would have had more impact on the Icelandic aviation market if the airline had not already reduced its flight schedule, says the CEO of Icelandair, adding Icelandair has little room for more flights to help stranded travellers

The possibility of oil extraction in the Dreki area would bring significant benefits for Iceland whether oil is extracted or not, says Iceland Chamber of Commerce, encouraging treasury to tender concessions to explore

A 40% rise in applications from students outside Europe to study at local universities may be linked to videos circulating on social media claiming that they can study in Iceland for free and relocate with families; processing is heavily delayed

Journalist Eyrún Magnúsdóttir and author Auður Jónsdóttir will launch a new media outlet, Gímaldið: the name describes a large hall with high ceilings, chosen because the channel will welcome many voices and report on various aspects of complex issues

A man involved in what is thought to be Iceland’s first bank robbery walked into a police station and confessed to the crime, police posted on Facebook; the robbery took place in 1975 and was relatively small in scale compared to later bank robberies

Björg Eva Erlendsdóttir, MD of Icelandic Environment Association, says national energy company is setting a dangerous precedent by moving on with Hvammsvirkjun power plant project without necessary permits, nor community consensus

Over 2.000 micrograms per cubic meter of sulfur dioxide have been recorded on Monday, the highest levels since volcanic activity began on the Reykjanes Peninsula; though the levels are now decreasing, a thick volcanic haze still lingers over the city