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TODAY IN DENMARK

Today in Denmark: A roundup of the news on Monday

Find out what's going on in Denmark today with The Local's short roundup of the news in less than five minutes.

Published: 20 September 2021 10:32 CEST
Today in Denmark: A roundup of the news on Monday
File photo: Mads Claus Rasmussen/Ritzau Scanpix

Plans for new solar panel farm “the size of 400 football pitches” 

Plans for a major new solar energy farm near the town of Viborg could see panels fill an area the size of 400 football pitches, broadcaster DR reports.

The project is still at the idea phase, DR writes. But should it be realised, it could produce enough electricity to power 41,000 households.

A meeting with local residents is scheduled to take place today to discuss the project. A spokesperson for a local residents’ society said they are keen to hear how the size of the solar farm will impact the area and its wildlife, according to DR.

Local businesses and land owners and Danish company European Energy are behind the project, which so far has not seen any political response.

Sale of teeth-whitening products to be blocked

 The Danish Environmental Protection Agency (Miljøstyrelsen) is to put a stop to sales of as many as 25-teeth whitening products after a study revealed that around half of the tested products can damage teeth or gums to varying degrees.

The agency will stop sales of the most harmful products, project leader Elisabeth Paludan told DR.

“Out chemical inspection has reached out to several companies and asked them to stop sales in Denmark,” Paludan said.

Additionally, the agency tested the bleaching effects of 12 products and found that two thirds failed to make teeth whiter.

Mayor criticised for hegemony of local television

 Ole Bjørstop, mayor of the Ishøj municipality near Copenhagen, is facing criticism from other parties in the municipal government for his use of local station TV-Ishøj to boost his political career.

According to a review by the municipality, Bjørstop, who represents the “Ishøjlisten” group, appeared on the station 53 times between February 2020 and March 2021.

In comparison, three other politicians have appeared three, two and one times respectively during the same period, DR writes.

The TV station, which cost the municipality 1.6 million kroner last year, has been called a “propaganda channel” for the mayor by a researcher at the Danish School of Media and Journalism.

Sunny and dry weather with moderate temperatures

 This week’s weather will be a calm affair in most parts of the countries, with darker and cooler mornings but plenty of dry and sunny spells at the beginning of the week.

Monday’s temperatures are forecast at 12-15 degrees Celsius with a light northeasterly wind, which may feel quite brisk on the coasts.

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TODAY IN DENMARK

Today in Denmark: A roundup of the news on Monday

'Arne' pension cheaper than feared, police claim Christiania residents sell cannabis, super hospital opens, and a rainy week on the way. Here's some of the news from Denmark on Monday.

Published: 20 March 2023 07:32 CET
Today in Denmark: A roundup of the news on Monday

Early ‘Arne-pension’ less expensive than feared 

Denmark’s finance ministry believes that the so.called Arne-pension, which allows people who start work at a young age to retire earlier, will be cheaper for the Danish state than expected in the years up until 2030. 

According to the Ekstra Bladet newspaper, the government is likely to spend 1.4 billion kroner less than expected in 2023 alone, as more workers than expected opting to retire at a normal time despite being eligible. 

The ministry told the newspaper it expects to save 10.8 billion between 2022 and 2030 on what had initially been expected. 

The Arne pension allows people to retire up to three years early depending on how many years of work they have done. 

Danish vocab: oprindeligt – originally 

Half the cannabis stalls in Christiania run by residents: police

Police in Copenhagen estimate that roughly half of the cannabis stalls operated in ‘Pusher Street’, the open drug market in Christiania, are run by residents of the famed ‘freetown’ commune. 

“We recognise that officially Christiania distances itself from the brutality in Pusher Street, but it nevertheless seems hypocritical when we can ascertain that some of the residents are involved, and there are children under the age of 13 selling hash,” said Tommy Laursen, who leads the police’s efforts to stamp out the organised hash business. 

Hulda Mader, a spokesperson for Christiania, blamed the police’s attempts to shut down Pusher Street had led to increased criminalisation. 

“Intensive efforts made by the police last year have meant that the hashish market has gone from bad to worse,” she said. 

Danish vocab: hyklerisk – hypocritical

New ‘super hospital’ opens outside Copenhagen two years late

The new so-called ‘super hospital’ that was supposed to open two years ago in Køge, a satellite town of Copenhagen, took its first 80 patients on Sunday. 

The new building, Wing R, which opens on Sunday, contains both surgical and medical departments for highly specialised treatment, as well as 200 private rooms spread over eight floors.

Hospital director Niels Würgler Hansen told TV2 that the hospital’s ability to provide specialised treatment will prevent patients from having to travel to the Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen. 

Despite the delays, the project stayed within budget. 

Danish vocab: forsinkelser – delays

Rainy week ahead in Denmark 

Get your anoraks and rubber boots ready. Denmark is expected to see heavy rainstorms every day for the first half of this week, clearing on Thursday for a dryer and sunnier Friday. 

“It looks like it will be a relatively grey week with a lot of rain,” Erik Hansen, the meteorologist on duty at Denmark’s Meteorological Institute, told Ritzau on Monday morning. 

But it will be much warmer, with temperatures of between 7C and 12C, with a lot of fog on Monday. 

Danish vocab: en ganske våd uge – a pretty wet week

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