Today in Denmark: A roundup of the news on Friday
US approves Danish transfer of F-16s to Ukraine, scandal-hit MP leaves coalition party and weather will be nice on Sunday. Here’s the news from Denmark on Friday.
USA approves transfer of Danish F-16s to Ukraine
The United States will approve the transfer of Danish and Dutch F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine once their Ukrainian pilots have completed training, Reuters reports based on a letter seen by the agency and signed by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
“I write to express the full support of the United States” for the delivery of the planes, Blinken’s letter states according to the report.
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen meanwhile confirmed to broadcaster TV2 that he has received the letter.
“I can confirm there has been an exchange of letters between me and Antony Blinken”, he said. The letter came after “the defence minister [Jakob Ellemann-Jensen, ed.] and I reached out to the USA to search out our options,” Rasmussen said.
Denmark and the Netherlands are leading a coalition of European countries training the Ukrainian pilots. Because the F-16s are produced by the United States, US approval is required before they are imported to another country.
Vocabulary: at afsøge – to look for/check out/find out about
Wait until Sunday for nice weekend weather
The weather will be mixed with rain, sun and wind this weekend. Sunday will probably be the nicest day.
Friday will be the cloudiest, wettest and coolest day, with temperatures ranging from 16 to 21 degrees Celsius. Saturday will feel warmer at a peak of 24 degrees but a front over Jutland will bring showers in the evening, according to met office DMI’s forecast.
The front will still be over the east on Sunday, but things should clear up across the country, leaving some blue skies and around 23 degrees in temperature.
Vocabulary: blanding – mixture
Controversial MP leaves Moderate Party
Jon Stephensen, the Moderate Party MP who took extended leave earlier this year after several scandals were reported in Danish media, has now left the party for good and will continue in parliament as an independent.
The 63-year-old lawmaker was reported to have acted inappropriately in a former job as a theatre director and later to have sent an SMS to a 19-year-old party colleague telling her she was “beautiful with the hottest body”.
He announced his departure from coalition party the Moderates yesterday.
Party leader Lars Løkke Rasmussen, who is currently in China in his role as foreign minister, called the decision “sensible” and said it “in no way surprises me”.
“Because one of the last things I did before I went to China was to have a meeting with Jon Stephensen on Tuesday on the way to the airport, where I told him that my view and the view of the party is that we have no confidence in being able to work with him when his leave expires,” he told TV2.
Stephensen’s departure means the government’s majority is reduced by one mandate.
Vocabulary: løsgænger – independent MP
Terror threat level not raised in Denmark
Denmark’s police intelligence service PET has not raised its rating of the terror threat against the country, while Sweden has taken the decision to raise its own level.
Denmark and Sweden both stepped up border security at the beginning of the month following the backlash in several Muslim countries in response to public desecrations of the Quran in the Scandinavian countries.
But neither country had raised its specific terror threat level until Thursday, when the step was taken by Stockholm but not Copenhagen.
“The terror threat against Denmark and against Danish interests abroad has been at the level ‘serious’, which is four out of five, for a number of years. That is equivalent to the level that Sweden is now going up to,” Denmark’s police security service PET said in a written comment.
Vocabulary: at hæve – to raise
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USA approves transfer of Danish F-16s to Ukraine
The United States will approve the transfer of Danish and Dutch F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine once their Ukrainian pilots have completed training, Reuters reports based on a letter seen by the agency and signed by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
“I write to express the full support of the United States” for the delivery of the planes, Blinken’s letter states according to the report.
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen meanwhile confirmed to broadcaster TV2 that he has received the letter.
“I can confirm there has been an exchange of letters between me and Antony Blinken”, he said. The letter came after “the defence minister [Jakob Ellemann-Jensen, ed.] and I reached out to the USA to search out our options,” Rasmussen said.
Denmark and the Netherlands are leading a coalition of European countries training the Ukrainian pilots. Because the F-16s are produced by the United States, US approval is required before they are imported to another country.
Vocabulary: at afsøge – to look for/check out/find out about
Wait until Sunday for nice weekend weather
The weather will be mixed with rain, sun and wind this weekend. Sunday will probably be the nicest day.
Friday will be the cloudiest, wettest and coolest day, with temperatures ranging from 16 to 21 degrees Celsius. Saturday will feel warmer at a peak of 24 degrees but a front over Jutland will bring showers in the evening, according to met office DMI’s forecast.
The front will still be over the east on Sunday, but things should clear up across the country, leaving some blue skies and around 23 degrees in temperature.
Vocabulary: blanding – mixture
Controversial MP leaves Moderate Party
Jon Stephensen, the Moderate Party MP who took extended leave earlier this year after several scandals were reported in Danish media, has now left the party for good and will continue in parliament as an independent.
The 63-year-old lawmaker was reported to have acted inappropriately in a former job as a theatre director and later to have sent an SMS to a 19-year-old party colleague telling her she was “beautiful with the hottest body”.
He announced his departure from coalition party the Moderates yesterday.
Party leader Lars Løkke Rasmussen, who is currently in China in his role as foreign minister, called the decision “sensible” and said it “in no way surprises me”.
“Because one of the last things I did before I went to China was to have a meeting with Jon Stephensen on Tuesday on the way to the airport, where I told him that my view and the view of the party is that we have no confidence in being able to work with him when his leave expires,” he told TV2.
Stephensen’s departure means the government’s majority is reduced by one mandate.
Vocabulary: løsgænger – independent MP
Terror threat level not raised in Denmark
Denmark’s police intelligence service PET has not raised its rating of the terror threat against the country, while Sweden has taken the decision to raise its own level.
Denmark and Sweden both stepped up border security at the beginning of the month following the backlash in several Muslim countries in response to public desecrations of the Quran in the Scandinavian countries.
But neither country had raised its specific terror threat level until Thursday, when the step was taken by Stockholm but not Copenhagen.
“The terror threat against Denmark and against Danish interests abroad has been at the level ‘serious’, which is four out of five, for a number of years. That is equivalent to the level that Sweden is now going up to,” Denmark’s police security service PET said in a written comment.
Vocabulary: at hæve – to raise
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