Today in Denmark: A roundup of the latest news on Thursday
Denmark's Finance Minister to goes on paternity leave next week, Social Liberal party wants 'green constitution', French weapons firm denies defence minister's claims, and police arrest five in alleged cocaine network. Here's the main news on Thursday morning.
Denmark's Finance Minister to take two months' paternity leave
Denmark's Finance Minister, Nicolai Wammen, has announced that he will go on parental leave between June 5th and August 13th, with Morten Bødskov, the country's business minister standing in for him in his absence.
"On June 5th I will go on parental leave with Frederik, and I am really looking forward to spending time with the little boy," Wammen said in a Facebook post announcing his decision, showing him alongside his son, who was born in November.
This is the second time Bødskov has substituted for Wammen, standing in for him between December 2020 and February 2021, when Wammen was Minister of Taxation.
"My parental leave with Christian was quite simply one of the best decisions in my life and I'm looking forward to having the same experience with Frederik," Wammen wrote on Facebook in November alongside a picture of him together with his son.
Danish Vocabulary: barselsvikar – child leave
French arms manufacturer denies off-work Defence minister's claim of Danish contact
The French arms manufacturer Nexter has hit back at claims from Minister of Defence Jakob Ellemann-Jensen, now off sick, that three arms manufacturers had been asked for an offer to deliver 19 guns to the Danish Armed Forces.
Nexter has told the Altinget political news site that it was never contacted by Danish defence officials, countering Ellemann-Jensen's claim to Denmark's parliament that three arms manufacturers, including Nexter, were asked for offers before the contract went to the Israeli company Elbit Systems.
Ellemann-Jensen claimed that Elbit's offer was the best of three.
Altinget has also obtained documents from the Defense Materiel and Procurement Agency (FMI), which shows that Nexter had tried to get in touch with the ministry about a price and delivery date.
Danish Vocabulary: et tilbud – an offer
Social Liberal Party wants environment and climate rights in constitution
Denmark's Social Liberal Party (Radikale Venstre) has called for Denmark to bring in a "green constitution", which will give citizens a constitutional right to a a clean environment and stable climate.
"Fish are dying in Denmark's inland waters. The number of species in Danish nature is decreasing, not increasing. The drinking water is not getting better, but worse," the party's leader, Martin Lidegaard, said in a speech in the parliament. "The expansion of wind, solar and green district heating on land has stalled or is progressing too slowly."
Out of 193 UN countries, 149 countries have green provisions in their constitutions, he pointed out, including both Sweden and Norway.
Danish Vocabulary: grundloven – the constitution
Police in Denmark arrest five members of alleged cocaine network
Police in Denmark have arrested four men and one woman in a case involving a total of 27.5 kilos of cocaine, the National Unit for Special Crime (NSK) announcede in a press release on Wednesday.
NSK suspects that the individuals are buyers in a cocaine network, with nine people already sentenced to a total of 67.5 years in prison for trafficking in cocaine in related cases.
"A concentrated and thorough investigation has meant that today we have been able to arrest five people who we have a strong suspicion are part of an organised network that deals in hard drugs," Lars Feldt-Rasmussen, deputy police inspector at NSK, said in the statement.
According to the police inspector, it is an important piece that has been removed from the network.
The five people arrested are between the ages of 22 and 32.
Danish Vocabulary: kokainaftagere – cocaine buyers/receivers
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Denmark's Finance Minister to take two months' paternity leave
Denmark's Finance Minister, Nicolai Wammen, has announced that he will go on parental leave between June 5th and August 13th, with Morten Bødskov, the country's business minister standing in for him in his absence.
"On June 5th I will go on parental leave with Frederik, and I am really looking forward to spending time with the little boy," Wammen said in a Facebook post announcing his decision, showing him alongside his son, who was born in November.
This is the second time Bødskov has substituted for Wammen, standing in for him between December 2020 and February 2021, when Wammen was Minister of Taxation.
"My parental leave with Christian was quite simply one of the best decisions in my life and I'm looking forward to having the same experience with Frederik," Wammen wrote on Facebook in November alongside a picture of him together with his son.
Danish Vocabulary: barselsvikar – child leave
French arms manufacturer denies off-work Defence minister's claim of Danish contact
The French arms manufacturer Nexter has hit back at claims from Minister of Defence Jakob Ellemann-Jensen, now off sick, that three arms manufacturers had been asked for an offer to deliver 19 guns to the Danish Armed Forces.
Nexter has told the Altinget political news site that it was never contacted by Danish defence officials, countering Ellemann-Jensen's claim to Denmark's parliament that three arms manufacturers, including Nexter, were asked for offers before the contract went to the Israeli company Elbit Systems.
Ellemann-Jensen claimed that Elbit's offer was the best of three.
Altinget has also obtained documents from the Defense Materiel and Procurement Agency (FMI), which shows that Nexter had tried to get in touch with the ministry about a price and delivery date.
Danish Vocabulary: et tilbud – an offer
Social Liberal Party wants environment and climate rights in constitution
Denmark's Social Liberal Party (Radikale Venstre) has called for Denmark to bring in a "green constitution", which will give citizens a constitutional right to a a clean environment and stable climate.
"Fish are dying in Denmark's inland waters. The number of species in Danish nature is decreasing, not increasing. The drinking water is not getting better, but worse," the party's leader, Martin Lidegaard, said in a speech in the parliament. "The expansion of wind, solar and green district heating on land has stalled or is progressing too slowly."
Out of 193 UN countries, 149 countries have green provisions in their constitutions, he pointed out, including both Sweden and Norway.
Danish Vocabulary: grundloven – the constitution
Police in Denmark arrest five members of alleged cocaine network
Police in Denmark have arrested four men and one woman in a case involving a total of 27.5 kilos of cocaine, the National Unit for Special Crime (NSK) announcede in a press release on Wednesday.
NSK suspects that the individuals are buyers in a cocaine network, with nine people already sentenced to a total of 67.5 years in prison for trafficking in cocaine in related cases.
"A concentrated and thorough investigation has meant that today we have been able to arrest five people who we have a strong suspicion are part of an organised network that deals in hard drugs," Lars Feldt-Rasmussen, deputy police inspector at NSK, said in the statement.
According to the police inspector, it is an important piece that has been removed from the network.
The five people arrested are between the ages of 22 and 32.
Danish Vocabulary: kokainaftagere – cocaine buyers/receivers
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