Today in Denmark: A roundup of the news on Wednesday
MP accuses colleagues of ‘wanting to drink coffee’ with PM, weather puts cars underwater and police complaints board to investigate heavy-handed arrest of cyclist. Here is your news roundup from Denmark on Wednesday.
MP says party colleagues ‘wanted to drink coffee with Mette’ after expulsion
Theresa Scavenius, the MP who was thrown out of the Alternative party’s group of representatives in parliament at the start of this week following an internal conflict, has admitted to working difficulties with her colleagues since she was elected last November.
“We’ve had big working difficulties from day one. I wanted to confront the other politicians with [their] bluff and political theatre, while the others wanted to be good friends, have ‘hygge’ and drink coffee with Mette [Frederiksen, prime minister, ed.],” she said on the evening TV show Go’ aften live yesterday.
Scavenius was on Sunday removed from her spokesperson responsibilities by Alternative, a left-wing party with an environmentalist platform. She remains a member of the party but will now technically serve as an independent MP.
Vocabulary: samarbejdsvanskeligheder – working difficulties
Cars under water at Esbjerg port
Several cars were submerged at the port of Esbjerg yesterday evening as the water level rose, the South Jutland Police said.
Police moved a number of other cars that were at risk of being flooded.
High water levels occurred as a result of a low-pressure front over the North Sea yesterday afternoon which then moved up across Jutland and the Skagerrak strait, national met office DMI said.
The ferry from Esbjerg to nearby island Fanø was unable to take cars on board as a result of the conditions.
The water levels peaked yesterday evening and have since subsided.
Vocabulary: forhøjet vandstand – high water levels
Police complaints board to scrutinise arrest of cyclist
The Independent Police Complaints Authority (Den Uafhængige Politiklagemyndighed) is to investigate after a complaint was made over excessive use of force by officers during the arrest of a cyclist in Copenhagen on September 13th.
Several Danish media have published videos of the incident, in which police use pepper spray on the cyclist and handcuff him while holding him to the ground.
The man, who works as an editor for the media Danwatch and has spoken publicly about the incident, was reportedly stopped by police in the Christianshavn neighbourhood for using his mobile phone while cycling. He was on his way to collect his children from school.
Vocabulary: magtanvendelse – use of force
Denmark retains humanitarian aid to Niger
Denmark is still providing humanitarian aid to Niger but not development aid, which it suspended after the country's July 26th coup, the Danish foreign ministry said yesterday.
"The people of Niger are on the verge of catastrophe, which could lead to a potential flow of refugees. Naturally we cannot turn a blind eye to this situation," Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen told newspaper Politiken.
Countries in the Global South are "the most important priority at the moment, in light of the war in Ukraine, military coups in Africa and the Danish candidacy for the (UN) Security Council," he said.
"The Danish government has not stopped its humanitarian aid to Niger but stopped its country programme," the foreign ministry told news wire AFP.
Vocabulary: humanitær hjælp – humanitarian aid
Comments
See Also
MP says party colleagues ‘wanted to drink coffee with Mette’ after expulsion
Theresa Scavenius, the MP who was thrown out of the Alternative party’s group of representatives in parliament at the start of this week following an internal conflict, has admitted to working difficulties with her colleagues since she was elected last November.
“We’ve had big working difficulties from day one. I wanted to confront the other politicians with [their] bluff and political theatre, while the others wanted to be good friends, have ‘hygge’ and drink coffee with Mette [Frederiksen, prime minister, ed.],” she said on the evening TV show Go’ aften live yesterday.
Scavenius was on Sunday removed from her spokesperson responsibilities by Alternative, a left-wing party with an environmentalist platform. She remains a member of the party but will now technically serve as an independent MP.
Vocabulary: samarbejdsvanskeligheder – working difficulties
Cars under water at Esbjerg port
Several cars were submerged at the port of Esbjerg yesterday evening as the water level rose, the South Jutland Police said.
Police moved a number of other cars that were at risk of being flooded.
High water levels occurred as a result of a low-pressure front over the North Sea yesterday afternoon which then moved up across Jutland and the Skagerrak strait, national met office DMI said.
The ferry from Esbjerg to nearby island Fanø was unable to take cars on board as a result of the conditions.
The water levels peaked yesterday evening and have since subsided.
Vocabulary: forhøjet vandstand – high water levels
Police complaints board to scrutinise arrest of cyclist
The Independent Police Complaints Authority (Den Uafhængige Politiklagemyndighed) is to investigate after a complaint was made over excessive use of force by officers during the arrest of a cyclist in Copenhagen on September 13th.
Several Danish media have published videos of the incident, in which police use pepper spray on the cyclist and handcuff him while holding him to the ground.
The man, who works as an editor for the media Danwatch and has spoken publicly about the incident, was reportedly stopped by police in the Christianshavn neighbourhood for using his mobile phone while cycling. He was on his way to collect his children from school.
Vocabulary: magtanvendelse – use of force
Denmark retains humanitarian aid to Niger
Denmark is still providing humanitarian aid to Niger but not development aid, which it suspended after the country's July 26th coup, the Danish foreign ministry said yesterday.
"The people of Niger are on the verge of catastrophe, which could lead to a potential flow of refugees. Naturally we cannot turn a blind eye to this situation," Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen told newspaper Politiken.
Countries in the Global South are "the most important priority at the moment, in light of the war in Ukraine, military coups in Africa and the Danish candidacy for the (UN) Security Council," he said.
"The Danish government has not stopped its humanitarian aid to Niger but stopped its country programme," the foreign ministry told news wire AFP.
Vocabulary: humanitær hjælp – humanitarian aid
Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.
Please log in here to leave a comment.