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Today in Denmark: A roundup of the news on Friday

Elizabeth Anne Brown
Elizabeth Anne Brown - [email protected]
Today in Denmark: A roundup of the news on Friday
Team Jumbo-Visma's Wout Van Aert near Kalundborg, Denmark on June 30th, 2022. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes

Everything you need to know about the Tour de France and the release of the inquiry into the 2020 mink scandal are Denmark's headline news this Friday.

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Tour de Denm—uh, France 

It's an overcast day in Copenhagen for the Grand Départ, the official kickoff of the Tour de France, at 4 p.m. Don't be fooled when the clouds briefly part midmorning — they'll be back with a vengeance later this afternoon with the potential to drizzle on late finishers of the time trial (including frontrunner Tadej Podegar, who's expected to finish about 7:10 p.m.). The Danish Meteorological Institute has put out a warning  for heavy rainfall and thunderstorms for the Copenhagen area from 6-11 p.m. 

A poncho would be in order if you're planning to watch the riders in person today, and make contingency plans for any outdoor celebrations. 

READ ALSO: Five great spots to see the Tour de France in Denmark 

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How to watch the trials 

Danish streaming platform TV2 will host coverage of the Tour, as will Discovery+ in Denmark. 

If you're watching abroad, the United States offers a selection of streaming services — the USA channel will provide live coverage, through NBC, you've got Peacock (their proprietary streaming platform), NBCSports.com/live and the NBC Sports app. 

In the UK, ITV4 and the ITV Hub streaming service are free to watch. 

How to get around in Copenhagen today 

Between street closures, sporadically-open pedestrian crossings, and throngs of fans, trying to get from point A to point B in downtown Copenhagen will be a challenge today. 

The Tour de France team has provided an interactive map (here's the English version) to help you navigate, including information on those pedestrian crossings of the route, public toilets, and hydration stations (though with the rain, that might be redundant). 

READ ALSO: How will the Tour de France affect traffic and travel in Denmark? 

....and a harsh mink report for Mette Frederiksen 

If all this cycling news leaves you asking, 'but what about the mink?', you'll be thrilled to learn the independent commission tasked with investigating government decisions surrounding the 2020 culling of millions of the weasel-like animals has released its final report. It's a monster at almost 2,000 pages. 

The commission finds fault with prime minister Mette Frederiksen, who, they say, made "grossly misleading" statements about the legal basis of the mink cull at a November 2020 press conference. 

The report says 10 officials, largely department heads from the Ministry of Justice, Ministry of the Environment and Food, the National Police, and the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration, should be held accountable. 

On the hot seat are Barbara Bertelsen, head of the prime minister's department, and Mogens Jensen, former minister of food, agriculture, and fisheries.

The decision to cull the mink fell under Jensen's purview and the commission found Jensen was aware the government had no legal authority and lied to parliament about it. Jensen resigned just two weeks after the decision was made. 

READ ALSO: Danish PM 'grossly misled' during mink announcement 

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