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TODAY IN DENMARK

Today in Denmark: A roundup of the news on Friday

A rare day of sunshine, a major fire in Copenhagen, and energy companies forced to 'give back' a billion kroner are among the top news stories in Denmark on Friday.

Published: 27 January 2023 08:45 CET

Today in Denmark: A roundup of the news on Friday

Firefighters responded "massively" to a fire in western Copenhagen. (File photo: Ólafur Steinar Gestsson)

Sunshine ahead

Denmark can look forward to a rare day of winter sun on Friday, according to the latest from the Danish Meteorological Institute.

DMI meteorologist Klaus Larsen says temperatures will hover above freezing and the wind will be manageable today as the clouds part.

It will be a brief reprieve, however — the clouds will return promptly for the weekend. Take an hour to sit yourself outside like a potted plant.

READ ALSO: Why Denmark’s extra grey January can cause winter blues, and what might help

Massive fire in west Copenhagen due to possible explosion

A “major” fire on Damhus Boulevard took 21 vehicles and 49 firefighters to subdue, according to tweets from the Greater Copenhagen Fire Department.

The fire broke out in an occupied building currently undergoing renovation, the Fire Department says. A news outlet that was on the scene while the fire was still active reports the emergency began with an explosion, which appears to be corroborated by images of the scene that show debris scattered well away from the building.

Mads Dam of the Western Copenhagen police told news agency Ritzau that he couldn’t provide any information about the cause of the fire. “It all needs to cool down before our technicians can come in and examine it,” Dam said.

Tax minister: energy companies owe Danes a billion kroner

Energy companies will have to fork over 1.2 billion kroner of the last year’s windfall to the Danish treasury, tax minister Jeppe Bruus told business news outlet Finans.

“We will return that money to consumers in the forthcoming negotiations on inflation relief,” Bruus said. He added that the 1.2 billion kroner sum is a fraction of what was expected to be recovered, which had been estimated at more than 10 billion.

In September, European Commission announced plans to cap to energy company profits as well as levy collections from fossil energy companies to the tune of 140 billion euros, news agency Ritzau reports.

READ ALSO: How much will energy cost in 2023 in Denmark compared to 2022?

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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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