Iceland 

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

36 potential victims of human traffic, mostly women trafficked for prostitution, were offered appropriate assistance after the police conducted a search checking on 250 people in a coordinated operation with Europol, Frontex and Interpol in 43 countries

Dozens of pilot whales were found stranded in Ólafsfjörður; with rescue teams from the Tröllaskagi region and Akureyri called out to assist, the whales have been successfully refloated and guided back to the open sea by around 7 p.m.

Favorable spring weather has led to potato gardens being plowed up to three weeks earlier than usual in parts of North Iceland. In areas like Skagafjörður and Húsavík, planting has already begun, marking a shift from the typical agricultural calendar

Cannabis is the first drug many Icelandic teens try, often before alcohol, leading to social isolation and school dropping; the alarm is sounded by one of the support center for families dealing with substance use that warns its dangers are underestimated

One of the oldest known photographs from Iceland—a rare 19th-century image of Reykjavík harbor—has been lost while in the care of the Stockholms Auktionsverk auction house, shortly after being sold to the highest bidder

The education system is not yielding the expected results according to OECD, which conducts the PISA assessments; Icelandic students receive high grades that don't accurately reflect performance, raising concerns about the country’s academic standards

Photographer Pétur Thomsen has been named Artist Of The Year At Icelandic Art Prize 2025, the 8th edition, for his exhibition Settlement at Hafnarborg, based on a long-term project in which Pétur examines the coexistence of humanity and nature