Today in Denmark: A roundup of the news on Thursday
German airport strikes affect Danish travel, military service could be extended and include women, raccoons on the increase and more news from Denmark on Thursday.
Strikes at five German airports set to disrupt travel in Denmark
Passengers flying out of several German cities including Berlin and Hamburg will face cancellations amid a wave of strikes today, with knock-on effects expected to disrupt travel in Denmark.
Security staff at airports in Berlin, Cologne, Hamburg, Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden and Stuttgart will participate in an all-day warning strike on Thursday. These employees are responsible for screening passengers, staff, goods and cargo in the airport for the Federal Police.
According to estimates by the German Airports Association (ADV), around 90,000 passengers will be affected and more than 580 flights are likely to be cancelled due to the all-day action.
Some airports - such as in Berlin - are planning to completely axe all departures, while others have not yet announced the exact number of cancellations.
Copenhagen Airport states on its website that several flights from Hamburg and Berlin to the Danish capital are cancelled, while Billund Airport carries notification that its Lufthansa flight to Munich on Thursday is cancelled.
Vocabulary: tusindvis – thousands
Government announces military service for women
The government wants to reform the Danish military service system so that women can be called up as well as men. Currently, only men can be asked to fulfil military service.
“A crucial part of strengthening the military is that young Danes become part of our defence. We must therefore have a higher degree of military service,” Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said at a press briefing yesterday.
In a statement, the Ministry of Defence said the plan will mean all young Danes “must complete military service on the same terms and will be able to be conscripted”.
The government also wants to extend military service to 11 months from the current basic period of four months.
The opposition of other parties to conscription of women could yet provide an obstacle to the government as it seeks to push through the change.
Vocabulary: værnepligt – military service
Local hunter shoots raccoon in West Jutland
A local hunter near the Kildebjerg Sø lake on the Wadden Sea coast of southwest Jutland shot and killed a raccoon on Tuesday morning, broadcaster DR reports.
Native to North America, the raccoon is an invasive species in Denmark meaning it can damage natural habitats.
“There’s a drastic spread [of the animals] in Germany, and we can expect increasing numbers of raccoons here in Denmark from now on,” Jørn Bøgen, director of the Wadden Sea National Park’s project to regulate unwanted species, told DR.
Vocabulary: vaskebjørn – raccoon
Conservative party names Juul as new leader
The Danish Conservative party has named Mona Juul as its new political leader following the death of previous leader Søren Pape Poulsen. Juul is also expected to become the party chairperson.
Juul is the new political leader of the party and will be elected as party chair at an upcoming extraordinary national congress, the Conservatives said at a press briefing.
The date of the congress is yet to be confirmed and further arrangements will be made following a meeting of the party’s leadership.
“We are not letting go of Søren but we must choose a new political leader for our party, because that’s how parties work. Even though it doesn’t quite seem fair,” Juul said at the briefing.
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Strikes at five German airports set to disrupt travel in Denmark
Passengers flying out of several German cities including Berlin and Hamburg will face cancellations amid a wave of strikes today, with knock-on effects expected to disrupt travel in Denmark.
Security staff at airports in Berlin, Cologne, Hamburg, Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden and Stuttgart will participate in an all-day warning strike on Thursday. These employees are responsible for screening passengers, staff, goods and cargo in the airport for the Federal Police.
According to estimates by the German Airports Association (ADV), around 90,000 passengers will be affected and more than 580 flights are likely to be cancelled due to the all-day action.
Some airports - such as in Berlin - are planning to completely axe all departures, while others have not yet announced the exact number of cancellations.
Copenhagen Airport states on its website that several flights from Hamburg and Berlin to the Danish capital are cancelled, while Billund Airport carries notification that its Lufthansa flight to Munich on Thursday is cancelled.
Vocabulary: tusindvis – thousands
Government announces military service for women
The government wants to reform the Danish military service system so that women can be called up as well as men. Currently, only men can be asked to fulfil military service.
“A crucial part of strengthening the military is that young Danes become part of our defence. We must therefore have a higher degree of military service,” Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said at a press briefing yesterday.
In a statement, the Ministry of Defence said the plan will mean all young Danes “must complete military service on the same terms and will be able to be conscripted”.
The government also wants to extend military service to 11 months from the current basic period of four months.
The opposition of other parties to conscription of women could yet provide an obstacle to the government as it seeks to push through the change.
Vocabulary: værnepligt – military service
Local hunter shoots raccoon in West Jutland
A local hunter near the Kildebjerg Sø lake on the Wadden Sea coast of southwest Jutland shot and killed a raccoon on Tuesday morning, broadcaster DR reports.
Native to North America, the raccoon is an invasive species in Denmark meaning it can damage natural habitats.
“There’s a drastic spread [of the animals] in Germany, and we can expect increasing numbers of raccoons here in Denmark from now on,” Jørn Bøgen, director of the Wadden Sea National Park’s project to regulate unwanted species, told DR.
Vocabulary: vaskebjørn – raccoon
Conservative party names Juul as new leader
The Danish Conservative party has named Mona Juul as its new political leader following the death of previous leader Søren Pape Poulsen. Juul is also expected to become the party chairperson.
Juul is the new political leader of the party and will be elected as party chair at an upcoming extraordinary national congress, the Conservatives said at a press briefing.
The date of the congress is yet to be confirmed and further arrangements will be made following a meeting of the party’s leadership.
“We are not letting go of Søren but we must choose a new political leader for our party, because that’s how parties work. Even though it doesn’t quite seem fair,” Juul said at the briefing.
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