Today in Denmark: A roundup of the news on Monday
Risk of aquaplaning as rain falls on melting snow, number of babies in childcare up and bankrupt company ordered to pay for environmental damage. Here’s the news from Denmark on Monday.
Meltwater on roads gives risk of aquaplaning
Warming temperatures mean the snow and ice that has been on the ground for weeks is thawing. That means plenty of water on road surfaces this morning, broadcaster DR’s traffic service P4 writes.
It’s not just the thawing snow that is making the roads watery – rain is combining with the melting ice to leave surface water and a risk of aquaplaning. The issue is more likely in areas that have had large volumes of snow.
Meanwhile, vehicles sensitive to winds are advised against using the Little Belt and Langeland bridges.
The strong winds have also elicited a ban on vehicles with trailers weighing less than 2.5 tonnes from driving on the Great Belt Bridge. That directive is scheduled to expire at 10am.
Vocabulary: akvaplaning – aquaplaning
Child carers concerned over numbers under new rules
Managers of Denmark’s kindergartens and creches say they are concerned that the number of children attending institutions could increase, giving a potentially negative effect on quality.
A survey by their trade union, BUPL, found that 57 percent said the average age of children had gone down, with babies as young as 6-8 months now becoming more common at daycare.
“Child carers are trained to care for very young children and ensure their development and well-being,” BUPL chairperson Elisa Rimpler told news wire Ritzau.
“But it is clear that if more children start at childcare significantly younger, better standards are needed because the very youngest children need more one-to-one contact,” she said.
New parental leave rules adopted in 2022 mean 11 weeks of leave are now earmarked for fathers and co-mothers.
READ ALSO: EXPLAINED: Denmark's new parental leave rules
Nordic Waste must provide financial security over pollution scandal
The Danish Environmental Protection Agency has issued two orders to bankrupt soil treatment company Nordic Waste after an environmentally damaging landslide at one of its plants.
Nordic Waste has been ordered to provide financial security for the expected costs of preventing a landslide from causing environmental damage to the Alling Å river, near its facility at the town of Ølst in Jutland.
The second order requires the company take measures to protect the local environment.
The orders were announced by the Ministry of the Environment in a statement yesterday.
That comes after Nordic Waste on Friday declared bankruptcy and the government said it would pursue legal options to ensure the taxpayer did not bear the cost of the landslide.
'Classic' Danish surnames decline due to immigration and name laws
Danish surnames Nielsen, Hansen and Jensen have become less dominant than they were 30 years ago, according to new data.
The three ‘classic’ Danish surnames are still the most commonly occurring in the Nordic country, but to a far lesser extent than they were 30 years ago, new Statistics Denmark figures show.
In general, the number of surnames ending in -sen has fallen over the last three decades.
The trend has two causes according to Statistics Denmark: immigration has meant an influx of new surnames, while a change in the law in 2006 made it easier to switch an existing surname.
Vocabulary: navneændring – (legal) change of name
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Meltwater on roads gives risk of aquaplaning
Warming temperatures mean the snow and ice that has been on the ground for weeks is thawing. That means plenty of water on road surfaces this morning, broadcaster DR’s traffic service P4 writes.
It’s not just the thawing snow that is making the roads watery – rain is combining with the melting ice to leave surface water and a risk of aquaplaning. The issue is more likely in areas that have had large volumes of snow.
Meanwhile, vehicles sensitive to winds are advised against using the Little Belt and Langeland bridges.
The strong winds have also elicited a ban on vehicles with trailers weighing less than 2.5 tonnes from driving on the Great Belt Bridge. That directive is scheduled to expire at 10am.
Vocabulary: akvaplaning – aquaplaning
Child carers concerned over numbers under new rules
Managers of Denmark’s kindergartens and creches say they are concerned that the number of children attending institutions could increase, giving a potentially negative effect on quality.
A survey by their trade union, BUPL, found that 57 percent said the average age of children had gone down, with babies as young as 6-8 months now becoming more common at daycare.
“Child carers are trained to care for very young children and ensure their development and well-being,” BUPL chairperson Elisa Rimpler told news wire Ritzau.
“But it is clear that if more children start at childcare significantly younger, better standards are needed because the very youngest children need more one-to-one contact,” she said.
New parental leave rules adopted in 2022 mean 11 weeks of leave are now earmarked for fathers and co-mothers.
READ ALSO: EXPLAINED: Denmark's new parental leave rules
Nordic Waste must provide financial security over pollution scandal
The Danish Environmental Protection Agency has issued two orders to bankrupt soil treatment company Nordic Waste after an environmentally damaging landslide at one of its plants.
Nordic Waste has been ordered to provide financial security for the expected costs of preventing a landslide from causing environmental damage to the Alling Å river, near its facility at the town of Ølst in Jutland.
The second order requires the company take measures to protect the local environment.
The orders were announced by the Ministry of the Environment in a statement yesterday.
That comes after Nordic Waste on Friday declared bankruptcy and the government said it would pursue legal options to ensure the taxpayer did not bear the cost of the landslide.
'Classic' Danish surnames decline due to immigration and name laws
Danish surnames Nielsen, Hansen and Jensen have become less dominant than they were 30 years ago, according to new data.
The three ‘classic’ Danish surnames are still the most commonly occurring in the Nordic country, but to a far lesser extent than they were 30 years ago, new Statistics Denmark figures show.
In general, the number of surnames ending in -sen has fallen over the last three decades.
The trend has two causes according to Statistics Denmark: immigration has meant an influx of new surnames, while a change in the law in 2006 made it easier to switch an existing surname.
Vocabulary: navneændring – (legal) change of name
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