Minister steps down from government due to stress
Denmark's Minister of Cities, Rural Areas and Transport, Signe Munk, is leaving the government as she has been placed on sick leave due to stress, the Prime Minister's Office reports.
Munk wrote in a post on Facebook that this is not a goodbye to politics, rather a "step towards finding a better balance in life".
"Although it's hard, it's the right decision to stop as a minister and pass the role on to another skilled politician. Right now I need some calm to find a balance and get well," she said.
Karina Lorentzen Dehnhardt, from the Green Left, the same party as Munk, will take over from this afternoon, after Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen meets with King Frederik.
36-year-old Munk has long been a major force within the party, and became its vice chair in 2014. Since then she has worked closely with party leader Pia Olsen Dyhr, successfully raising the profile of the party from one in crisis to a party of government.
"Becoming a minister was a high point for me, because it was a rare opportunity to make Denmark a better country," Munk said on Facebook.
"But the balance in my own life disappeared. Work and family need to fit together. We're complete people and I've found it hard to find that balance recently."
Danish vocabulary: stresssygemelding – sick leave due to stress
Preliminary tax assessments set to open next month
Around 5.5 million people in Denmark will be able to alter their 2027 preliminary tax assessments from November 24th, the Tax Authority has said in a statement.
In the preliminary assessment or forskudsopgørelse, you will be able to check whether your predicted income and tax for 2027 is correct. If not – for example, you recently got a new job or a payrise – you can alter your preliminary assessment to avoid a larger than expected tax bill in the future.
"Your preliminary tax assessment is an overview of your finances next year, and here you can make sure you're using your deductions and paying the right tax," Tax Authority vice chair Ulrick Junge said.
Tax assessments are usually available around the beginning of November, but this year they are coming two weeks later than usual, he said, due to a number of expected changes to tax rules which will be approved in parliament in November.
Last year, hundreds of thousands of people logged in to their preliminary tax assessments in the first few days after opening, and 800,000 people had to pay back an average of 9850 kroner each, or a total 7.9 billion kroner.
Danish vocabulary; skat – treasure or tax (can also be used as a term of endearment)
Copenhagen University subject to new cyber attack
Copenhagen University shut down a number of administrative systems on Monday after another cyber attack, according to the university's website.
This attack comes just days after another attack last month, where hackers gained access to the details of 525,000 people, including full names, CPR numbers, phone numbers and email addresses.
Research, education and digitalisation minister Christina Egelund told the Ritzau news wire that the issue is serious.
"This is the second time in a short period of time, and the fact that it comes in the wake of multiple attacks on our universities does not make it less serious," she said.
Copenhagen University, DTU and Aarhus University have all been subject to cyber attacks in the past few weeks.
"This is an attack on our knowledge institutions which are a completely vital pillar of our society in Denmark," she said, adding that leadership of eight Danish universities were called to a meeting on Monday to discuss the security situation.
Danish vocabulary: angreb – attack
Nordic government leaders sign declaration to protect children from tech giants
Eight Nordic government leaders have signed a joint agreement to protect children and young people from tech giants, which they say make it more difficult for children and young people to concentrate and affect their learning and well-being.
The declaration, called the Marienborg Manifesto, is set to be presented to the Nordic Council of Ministers in Helsinki on Tuesday, Danish newspaper Politiken reports.
It includes among other things coordinating law proposals, sharing ideas and presenting a united front against giant tech companies.
"Our children's education, mental health, ability to learn, and development – and at the end of the day, our democracies and trusting societies – are at risk," the declaration reads, according to Politiken.
Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told Politiken that protecting children and young people from the influence of tech organisations is one of the government's most important tasks, with Denmark and other Nordic countries working on stricter regulations for these companies, including an age limit for social media.
In Denmark, parliament has approved banning social media use for people under the age of 15, which is expected to come into force in July next year.
Danish vocabulary: Nordisk Ministerråd – The Nordic Council of Ministers
With reporting from Ritzau
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