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Nearly 400 Lego jobs in Denmark to be cut

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8 - 14 February 2013 | Vol 16 Issue 6

rt 2013

Denmark’s only English-language newspaper | cphpost.dk SCANPIX / HENNING BAGGER

NEWS

Give us more buses and bikes, 14 area mayors argue ahead of traffic committee’s recommendations

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NEWS

Extraordinary rendition Report reveals that Denmark was among the countries who took part in controversial US tactics

7 COMMUNITY

Targeted

Islam critic Lars Hedegaard survives assassination attempt

Buds and babes: American football fans have a late night enjoying the Super Bowl

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InOut

Let love rule!

Disagreement over whether cutting benefits increases workforce PETER STANNERS

Valentine’s Day is around the corner – here’s our guide to what to do with your special someone

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Employers’ association says unemployment benefits are too generous to encourage work, but others say cutting benefits will marginalise society’s vulnerable

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NEMPLOYMENT benefits need an overhaul in order to create a greater economic incentive for people to find work, according to the Danish association of employers, Danmarks Arbejdgiversforening (DA).

In a report released this weekend, DA argued that the generosity of unemployment benefits – combined with the

number of people who claim them – are a burden on government finances and an obstacle preventing Denmark’s economy to grow.

“It should always pay to work and say ‘yes’ to a job,” DA’s managing director, Jørn Neergaard Larsen, said. “That’s not the case today because of the generosity of the welfare system.”

According to DA, Denmark would have 270,000 fewer welfare recipients and save 50 billion kroner a year annually if it had the same proportion of its population receiving government support as Sweden does.

The report concludes that if the government expects to make any economic progress, it needs to use the upcoming reform of the least-generous cash welfare

benefit, kontanthjælp, to get more Danes into work.

“If more isn’t done to enact significant reform in Denmark, we will continue to see industrious foreigners take jobs in Denmark while Danes capable of working stay on welfare,” the report stated. “Over time, this will cause the welfare model to break down.”

DA is not alone in the belief that generous unemployment benefits play a significant role in suppressing the national economy. The liberal think-tank Cepos and the libertarian opposition party Liberal Alliance have both called for decreasing the generosity of kontanthjælp in order to increase the incentive to find work.

But it is far from a universallyheld belief, and many experts that The

Copenhagen Post spoke with argued that reducing kontanthjælp could have grave consequences for society’s most vulnerable.

Among them was Lisbeth Pedersen, the head of employment and labour market research at the national centre for social research, SFI. She explained that individuals receiving kontanthjælp do so for a variety of reasons, and are in different stages of preparedness to reenter the labour market.

“Some are unemployed simply because they are out work, while others can’t work because of health issues such as mental illness,” Pedersen said, adding that cutting welfare for the people with

Incentive continues on page 7

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Week in review

The Copenhagen Post cphpost.dk

CPH Post Word of the Week:

8 - 14 February 2013 THE WEEK’S MOST READ STORIES AT CPHPOST.DK

Ytringsfrihed (noun) – freedom of speech. Where you heard it: The debate over freedom of speech was put back onto the national agenda after the assasination attempt on outspoke Islam critic Lars Hedegaard (see page 4) Scanpix / Henning Bagger

Fit those in your glass

Islam critic survives assassination attempt Asylum for gay Afghan man sets precedent Dating the Danes | Know thyself, know thy Danes “I’d say Danes are cooler than Swedes” Police officer faces charges for kidnapping dog

FROM OUR ARCHIVES

TEN YEARS AGO. Crown Prince Frederik tours India with the hopes of boosting Danish business there.

FIVE YEARS AGO. Police in Aarhus arrest five people they suspect have plans to assassinate cartoonist Kurt Westergaard.

No, it’s not the remains of Superman’s home, the Fortress of Solitude, but rather the aftermath of strong winds that blasted the west coast of Denmark last week and left behind enormous ice chunks, such as these in Ringkøbing

ficial warning while Major General Henrik Røboe Dam will be slapped with an official reprimand. The men said in 2007 that Danish soldiers had taken 198 prisoners in Iraq since 2003, but the actual number was closer to 500. The discrepancy was revealed by Knud Bartels, the then chief of defence, in 2011.

Denmark’s only English-language newspaper

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Some Danish bank customers who use a Mac have been experiencing problems accessing the NemID online banking system. Apple’s internet browser Safari automatically blocks older versions of the Java software, which the NemID system is built upon. Users of the Firefox browser also reported difficulty

President and Publisher Ejvind Sandal

Since 1998, The Copenhagen Post has been Denmark’s leading source for news in English. As the voice of the international community, we provide coverage for the thousands of foreigners making their home in Denmark.

Additionally, our English language medium helps to bring Denmark’s top stories to a global audience.

CEO and Executive Editor Jesper Nymark

In addition to publishing the only regularly printed English-language newspaper in the country, we provide up-to-date news on our website and deliver news to national and international organisations. The Copenhagen Post is also a leading provider of non-news services to the private and public sectors, offering writing, translation, editing, production and delivery services.

Managing Editor Ben Hamilton

Visit us online at www.cphpost.dk

Editor-in-Chief (responsible under the Media Liability Act) Kevin McGwin

News Editor Justin Cremer Journalists Peter Stanners, Ray Weaver & Christian Wenande

logging on. As a result, internet banking access has been hindered for up to one out of every ten online banking customers in Denmark. Mac users first experienced difficulty accessing their NemID accounts last weekend but many have since reported that upgrading Java to version 7 has fixed the problem.

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Colourbox

Two top-ranked military officers received mild reprimands while three others were acquitted for their roles in former Defence Minister Søren Gade’s (Venstre) erroneous response to parliament regarding Iraqi prisoners in 2007. Lieutenant General Poul Kiærskou, Denmark’s NATO representative, will receive an of-

Colourbox

Scanpix / morten stricker

Reprimanded

ONE YEAR AGO. A contentious proposal to close nearly half the churches in Copenhagen comes in response to low attendance.

Stay or go?

A political majority is changing its view on Danish atomic waste and will investigate whether it is possible to export the radioactive waste out of the country. The change in direction comes after years of discussion about where the waste, currently stored in Risø, should be permanently stored in Denmark.

Layout and design Justin Cremer Aviaja Bebe Nielsen Logo by Rasmus Koch Published by CPHPOST.DK ApS Printed by Dagbladet, Ringsted.

Five councils were shortlisted as possible sites for the depository, and all protested heavily against the plans. There are about 5,000 to 10,000 cubic metres of low to medium-level atomic waste in Denmark, which Politiken newspaper characterised as enough to fill the Round Tower (pictured) to the top twice.

The CPH Post welcomes outside articles and letters to the editor.

Letters and comments can be left on our website or at: comments@cphpost.dk

www.cphpost.dk

Founded in 1998 by San Shepard All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited by law.

The Copenhagen Post accepts no responsibility for the content of material submitted by advertisers.

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News

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Scanpix / Thomas Lekfeldt

8 - 14 February 2013

Thorning-Schmidt has repeatedly called for Denmark to receive a discount on its budget contribution

Thorning-Schmidt doubles down on EU budget veto threat Peter Stanners Ahead of Brussels meeting, PM restated her demand that Denmark receive a discount on its EU contribution

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M Helle Thorning-Schmidt (Socialdemokraterne) has again threatened to veto the next seven-year EU budget unless Denmark is given a one billion kroner discount on its EU contribution.

“Denmark won’t vote for a budget unless we get a one billion kroner discount,” Thorning-Schmidt said at her weekly press conference on Tuesday.

Several countries, including the UK and Austria, currently receive discounts on their EU budget contributions, and Thorning-Schmidt argued that if the other discounts remain in place, then Denmark should continue to insist for its “crystal

clear” right to its own discount.

“It is not because Denmark does not believe in solidarity. We do. But we don’t want to pay four kroner every time a country similar to us pays three,” Thorning-Schmidt said, adding that she had the support of parliament. “We may not have made demands like these before, but it doesn’t change the fact that it is important.”

While it initially looked likely that Denmark would receive its demanded discount, the EU budget commissioner Janusz Lewandowski said last month that Denmark was not entitled to a discount after all.

European ministers are meeting in Brussels this Thursday to try to complete the alreadydelayed negotiations for the EU budget for 2014 to 2020.

At the heart of the conflict are demands for the budget to be cut in order to reflect the economic difficulties facing the EU as a result of the financial crisis.

We don’t want to pay four kroner every time a country similar to us pays three As a result, Herman Van Rompuy, the president of the European Council, presented a €950 billion budget in November that was €75 billion less than the European Commission’s initial proposal. His proposal failed, however, after some members demanded an additional €30 billion reduction.

Lithuania, which holds the rotating six month EU presidency, has announced that the budget will be finalised in the spring.

France’s president, François Hollande, said on Monday however that the conditions for reaching a deal had not yet been achieved.

Immigrants closing education gap Christian Wenande The female descendants of non-Western immigrants are receiving an education at the same rate as Danes, and their male counterparts are catching up as well

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hildren of non-Western immigrants are now nearly as educated as their Danish counterparts, according to new figures from Statistics Denmark.

The study found that it is particularly the daughters of non-Western immigrants who have contributed to minimising the education gap between the descendants of immigrants and ethnic Danes. In 2002, 43 percent of immigrant daughters were taking an education at the age of 22. That figure increased to 61 percent by 2012, which is comparable to the 63 percent rate of 22-year-old Danish women who

are receiving an education.

Beatrice Schindler Rangvid, a senior researcher at welfare research centre Det Nationale Forskningscenter for Velfærd, believes that it won’t be long before immigrant women pass their Danish counterparts when it comes to education.

“They see education as their way to get ahead in life and find their place in Danish society,” Rangvid told Fyens Stiftstidende newspaper. “They don’t partake in much leisure activity, so it’s not odd that they focus on their education.”

While the sons of nonWestern immigrants are not faring as well as their sisters, they too are closing the gap on their Danish peers. Dropout rates remain high for male descendants of non-Western immigrants, but 46 percent of them are taking an education at the age of 22 – not far off the 49 percent of their male ethnic Danish classmates.

This also represents a significant increase on a decade ago.

In 2002, just 29 percent of the male descendants of non-Western immigrants were receiving an education at the age of 22, while 38 percent of 22-year-old Danes were studying.

“It’s particularly in the vocational educations that [male descendents] struggle. It’s difficult to predict how successful they will be, but with the girls, indications are that we are moving in the right direction,” Rangvid told Fyens Stiftstidende.

Bente Højer, a pedagogical specialist, has researched how to guide the descendants of immigrants in the educational system.

“The challenge is in guiding and counselling each individual based on their qualifications and skills. But counselling is also about confrontation,” Højer told Fyens Stiftstidende.

“It’s about helping them, but it’s important to make them think about consequences as well.”

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Cover Story

The Copenhagen Post cphpost.dk

8 - 14 February 2013

Scanpix / Annelene Petersen

CPH Police: “We don’t know yet” Justin Cremer While police say they haven’t pinpointed a motive, Lars Hedegaard says he knows exactly why he was attacked

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NOTE TO READERS This addition of The Copenhagen Post went to print on Wednesday February 6. For updates on the attempted assassination of Lars Hedegaard, be sure to check our webiste, www.cphpost.dk Lars Hedegaard’s viewpoints may be shared by few, but since the attempt on his life, many people throughout Denmark have defended his right to hold them

Media and politicians rally around Hedegaard Peter Stanners While attacker remains at large, many speculate that attempted assassination was to silence critic’s controversial views on Islam

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uesday’s assassination attempt on historian and journalist Lars Hedegaard elicited a strong reaction from Danish media outlets and politicians, who uniformly offered the 70-year-old their support.

Hedegaard is well known for having a low opinion of Islam, and in 2010 he was charged with racism after making scathing and derogatory remarks about Muslims and Islam in an interview – after being found guilty by the Eastern High Court, he was let off by the Supreme Court last year.

Hedegaard’s gunman posed as a mailman before pulling a gun and firing a shot that missed. Hedegaard claims to have fought back against his attacker, who fled after repeatedly fumbling his weapon and now remains at large.

But while the assassin’s motivations remain unknown, Danish media and politicians, including PM Helle Thorning-Schmidt (Socialdemokraterne), found it hard not to make a connection to Hedegaard’s controversial views.

“The attack against Lars Hedegaard is a deplorable action that I highly condemn,” Thorning-Schmidt wrote in a comment to Ritzau. “[But the attack] is even worse if it was an attempt to stop Hedegaard from using his freedom of speech.”

Annette Vilhelmsen, the business minister and the leader of Socialistisk Folkeparti, echoed Thorning-Schmidt.

“Any form of assassination attempt is unacceptable, but political assassinations belong to a category of their own because

their goal is not to target an individual made international headlines, particularperson, but rather our entire democracy ly in the Netherlands, where Hedegaard and freedoms,” Vilhelmsen said. “Lars has a friend in the controversial anti-IsHedegaard is a controversial person, lamic politician Geert Wilders, who took which is why it’s hard to imagine that the to Twitter to voice his support.

“Murder attempt on my friend and shooting is not politically motivated.”

Liberal Alliance leader Anders Islam critic Lars Hedegaard this mornSamuelsen went further and argued the ing in Denmark,” Wilders wrote. “My attacker had lost their right to remain thoughts are with him. Long live Lars!”

Wilders sits on the board of the Inin Denmark. “Freedom of speech is a fundamental aspect of our democracy ternational Free Press Society, the umbrella organisation of and we will not tolthe Danish Free Press erate situations in Society (Trykkefriwhich free speech hedsselskabet) that is is threatened with chaired by Hedegaard. violence,” Samuelsen The assassination said. “The attacker They will not make me attempt is likely to res– regardless of their change my opinion or onate strongly in the residency status and ethnicity – ought to get me to shut up. If I did Netherlands, which has witnessed two sucbe thrown out of the I might as well just lie cessful assassinations country.”

Danish news- down and die, and I’m not of individuals with strong views of Islam. papers also offered Dutch filmmaker Hedegaard support, prepared to do that Theo Van Gogh was although Politiken murdered in 2004 in newspaper chose to response to his film ‘Submission’ that distance itself from his message.

“Lars Hedegaard’s world view is as dealt with violence against women in far from Politiken’s as you could imag- Muslim societies. His murderer was a ine,” the newspaper stated in an editorial. Muslim with ties to radical networks.

“His nonsensical, hateful and degrading In 2002, Dutch politician Pim Fortuyn, statements about Muslims in Denmark who was known for his anti-Muslim are deplorable. But we share the funda- views, was murdered by a far-left activmental premise that democratic debate ist who said he did it to stop Fortuyn from using Muslims and immigrants as needs to be free and peaceful.”

Jyllands-Posten newspaper, which scapegoats to achieve political power.

Denmark is no stranger to attacks itself has been the target of politicallymotivated attacks since its controversial like these, however. In 2010, Danish decision to publish caricatures of Mo- cartoonist Kurt Westergaard – who drew hammed in 2005, wrote that “no-one Mohammed with a bomb in his turban should be scared away from participat- for Jyllands-Posten, one of the most ining in the debate,” while Berlingske flammatory images of the ‘Mohammed wrote that it stood “shoulder to shoul- Crisis’ – was attacked in his home by a der with Lars Hedegaard in defence of man wielding an axe. Westergaard survived by sheltering in a safe room in his free speech”.

The assassination attempt quickly house, and the attacker was caught and

convicted of terrorism last year.

In the same year, a Chechen man was injured in a hotel bathroom by his own mail bomb that he was preparing to send to Jyllands-Posten newspaper.

The attack may lead to Hedegaard accepting protection from the domestic intelligence agency, PET, which has faced criticism from some sectors of the media for not knowing of the threat against Hedegaard.

Jacob Scharf, the head of PET, responded by conceding that his agency had its limitations.

“PET acknowledges the severity of the attack against the chairman of Trykkefrihedsselskabet, Lars Hedegaard,” Scharf wrote in a press release.

“But it will never be possible for PET to offer full protection to people who make controversial statements in public life and thereby become potential targets of violent extremism.”

Despite almost losing his life because of his extreme views, Hedegaard remains unrepentant.

“I will not bow down to violence, murder or terror,” Hedegaard told the tabloid Ekstra Bladet. “They will not make me change my opinion or get me to shut up. If I did, I might as well just lie down and die, and I’m not prepared to do that.”

The latest police press release stated that they were still searching for a Danish-speaking man described as around 25 years old, 175 to 180 cm tall, with a medium build, Middle-Eastern traits, stubble and medium-long dark curly hair that could be a wig. He was wearing a thin red coat reminiscent of those worn by Post Danmark employees.

Police are urging witnesses in the area of the streets Pelargonievej and Azaleavej between 9am and 12pm to come forward. They are also want home owners or businesses nearby who have CCTV installed to come forward.

openhagen Police say that they are “looking into everything” regarding the failed assassination attempt on outspoken Islam critic Lars Hedegaard.

“We have many investigation angles,” police inspector Jørgen Skov said at a press briefing on Tuesday evening.

“It could be anything. Lars Hedegaard is a well-known person. There could be a political motive, but we don’t know yet.”

Hedegaard was at home on Tuesday morning when he answered his door thinking there was a post delivery. The man at his door held a package and wore a red jacket similar to the ones worn by Post Danmark employees.

When Hedegaard opened the door, the suspect pointed a gun at Hedegaard and fired. The shot missed and Hedegaard fought off the attacker, and when the suspect’s gun jammed, he fled the scene.

“I went on the attack and attempted to punch him in the head,” Hedegaard told Politiken newspaper hours after the attack. “He dropped his pistol in the entryway and I tried feverishly to lock the front door. I couldn’t because he had stuck his foot in the door. He got the gun again and stood and fumbled with it to try to fire a shot. I tried once again to attack and then he took off.”

According to Hedegaard, who is the president of the Free Press Society and has often spoken out against Islam, the motive was clear.

“This is after all what one can expect when you attempt to express your opinion in this country,” Hedegaard said. “It comes as a surprise that I should be shot at, but apparently I should be.”

Police are gathering material from Hedegaard’s Frederiksberg residence, including DNA and fingerprints. They have described the suspect as a man around 25 years old, 175-180mm tall with dark hair and dark stubble. He is characterised as looking “southern or maybe Arabic” and speaks Danish without an accent.

Hedegaard’s outspoken criticism of Islam was tested in the highest levels of the Danish court system following comments he made in December 2009 that included: “They rape their own children.

You hear it all the time. Girls in Muslim families are raped by their uncles, their cousins, or their fathers.” He also said that “when a Muslim man rapes a woman, it is in his right to do so.”

In April 2012, the Supreme Court found Hedegaard not guilty of racism.

The decision overruled the one by the Eastern High Court in May 2011, in which Hedegaard was found guilty and fined 5,000 kroner. A previous decision, made two months prior by the Frederiksberg District Court, had ruled that while it found Hedegaard’s comments insulting, he was not guilty because he thought he was making them in a private conversation.

Hedegaard’s Free Press Society believes that free speech is “being threatened, primarily by religious and ideological interests and international pressure groups”, and that Islam is the “most dangerous threat at the moment” to free expression.

news

The Copenhagen Post cphpost.dk

8 - 14 February 2013

Councils join forces for shared Copenhagen traffic plan Fourteen mayors from the capital region back plans to improve the city’s public transport and bicycle infrastructure

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he mayors of 14 councils in the Greater Copenhagen area have written a joint letter to the congestion commission, Trængselskommisionen, outlining their ambitions to develop Copenhagen’s transport infrastructure.

The mayors write that improving public transport and bicycle infrastructure are the best ways to limit congestion and improve the speed of getting around the capital.

“In order for us to tackle the problem of congestion, we need to stand together across party lines and council borders,” Copenhagen mayor Frank Jensen (Socialdemokraterne) wrote in a press release. “There is a need to act quickly and decisively because residents and businesses are wasting thousands of hours every day in traffic jams or the over-burdened public transport network.”

The mayors argue that in order to drive down costs and optimise the efficiency of the transport network, councils need to get better at co-ordinating the expansions of bus, train, light-rail, road and bicycle lane networks.

Among the specific initiatives proposed by the mayors was ensuring that new stations – especially those for the planned light-rail system along the orbital motorway Ring 3 – be centrally located in order to accommodate as many

through Gentofte.

Other critics have pointed out that the tunnel would include several access ramps to allow traffic on and off as it snakes beneath the city, which could potentially lead to increased traffic around the city and pollute and damage unspoilt areas of Amager.

Despite the goahead from the City Council, the funding for the tunnel won’t be found until the Trængselskommission releases its comprehensive plan for tackling Copenhagen’s congestion.

The Trængselskommission was established in early 2011 as a way to find alternative solutions to Copenhagen’s traffic problems after the government’s plan to introduce a congestion charging zone failed to gather political support.

The commission was supposed to be ready with a catalogue of suggestions for reducing congestion by this January, but a Transport Ministry spokesperson told The Copenhagen Post that the work has been delayed by at least a week.

The 14 councils that signed the letter are Copenhagen, Herlev, Rødovre, Albertslund, Gladsaxe, Frederiksberg, Hvidovre, Vallensbæk, Høje-Taastrup, Lyngby-Taarbæk, Brøndby, Ishøj, Dragør and Glostrup.

Colourbox

Peter Stanners

Improving bicycle infrastructure and public transport is key, the 14 mayors argue

local residents as possible.

They also suggested both extending and expanding the capacity of the existing public transport networks by, for example, extending bus networks and building an additional Metro station in Ny Ellebjerg on an offshoot to the City Ring line. Copenhagen would also benefit from a new light-rail line running from Copenhagen’s Nordvest district out to Ring 3, the mayors said.

More also needs to be done for cyclists, the mayors argued, saying that more bicycle superhighways should be installed parallel to existing commuting pathways.

While most of the proposed initiatives focus on creating competitive alternatives to the car in order to reduce con-

gestion on roads, the mayors also argued that there is a need to expand the capacity of the road network. The mayors all agreed that there is need for a new orbital road around the city, Ring 5.

But in particular, the councils support the construction of the 27 billion kroner harbour tunnel that will provide faster transit across the city for 65,000 cars a day by piping them underground from the north of the city to the motorway network in the south.

The harbour tunnel plan is not without its critics and the mayor of Gentofte Council, one of only two councils not to sign the letter, argued that the harbour tunnel plan, which was recently approved by the City Council, may actually increase the amount of traffic

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J-P journalists honoured for PET agent coverage Three writers will share the first ever European Press Prize

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hree Jyllands-Posten journalists have been announced as winners of the first ever European Press Prize for their reporting on former PET double agent Morten Storm.

Orla Borg, Carsten Ellegaard Christensen and Morten Pihl received the News Reporting Award for “their groundbreaking investigative reporting project”, according to a European Press Prize press release.

Through a series of articles that began in October 2012, Jyllands-Posten revealed Storm’s role in leading the CIA to al-Qaeda terrorist Anwar al-Awlaki, who was then killed in a targeted drone attack by the US. Subsequent reporting from Jyllands-Posten detailed the fall-out from Storm’s claims. New regulations over the work of PET announced recently by the Justice Ministry are largely seen as a reaction to the Storm case.

The stories received widespread attention both in Denmark and abroad.

According to the prize organisers, J-P’s reporting “fed a crucial debate on the role of European countries in the US ‘war on terror’. Simply, when is it right for states and their agents to kill?”

Borg, Christensen and Pihl will split a 10,000 euro cash prize. The Jyllands-Posten journalists beat out 133 other entries in the New Reporting category. They will receive their awards on February 26 in Amsterdam. (JC)

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News

The Copenhagen Post cphpost.dk

8 - 14 February 2013

For the first time ever, the refugee appeals board granted asylum to a gay man because of the risk of persecution his sexuality poses if he returns home

Colourbox

Peter Stanners

J. Jackie Baier

Asylum for gay Afghan man sets precedent

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n Afghan man has been granted asylum because he is gay. According to the man’s lawyer, this week’s decision was a precedent-setting judgement for homosexual asylum seekers who risk persecution if they return home.

“People normally have to demonstrate they are being persecuted in their home country in order to be granted asylum,” lawyer Kåre Traberg Smidt told Politiken newspaper. “They needed to be able to show they had actually experienced problems.”

While in Afghanistan, the man in question did not experience any persecution due to his sexuality. But in granting him asylum, the refugee appeals board, Flygtningenævnet, ruled that there were sufficient grounds to argue that the man would face a high risk of persecution if he returned.

Flygtningenævnet reconsiders all asylum cases that are first rejected by the Immigration Service (Udlændingestyrelsen), except those that are considered ‘manifestly unfounded’. In the past, the board had emphasised that individuals must have actually faced persecution in order to qualify for asylum. Belonging to a persecuted group was not enough to earn asylum.

But according to Eva Singer from the Danish Refugee Council (DRC), the decision indicates that Flygtningenævnet is starting to shift its perspective.

Last September, it granted asylum to an Afghan man who had converted from Islam to Christianity while in Denmark. Flygtningenævnet argued that the man would face persecution if he returned to Afghanistan, where people who abandon Islam are considered ‘apostates’ and may face the death penalty. The board emphasised the fact that while the man could practise Christianity in private, he would not be able to practise it openly, which the board considered a basic human right.

Historically the board has argued that individuals should hide their sexual-

Milán feared she would be persecuted or even killed if she returned to Guatemala

Trans-woman granted asylum Jessica Hanley Fernanda Milán faced persecution in her native Guatemala if deported Being openly gay in Afghanistan is simply not an option

ganda” were recently passed that essentially outlaw homosexuals from kissing in public.

According to Singer, however, the particularly high risk to homosexuals in Afghanistan played an important role in the appeals board’s decision, and individuals from lower-risk countries may not necessarily be so lucky.

Singer added that it was unlikely that asylum seekers would cynically attempt to take advantage of the ruling by either pretending to be gay or by changing their religion in order to increase their chances of being granted asylum.

“You always have to assess the legitimacy of someone’s claim, and I think the number of people making these claims won’t be that big,” Singer said. “If people face risks because they are homosexual, we should offer them protection. A person’s sexuality is such a big part of their personality, I don’t think that people will take lightly claiming that they are homosexual.”

Smidt predicted that the verdict would make it easier for individuals such as Guatemalan trans-woman Fernanda Milán to be granted asylum, and less than one week later, Flygtningenævnet shifted course and granted Milán asylum (see story to right).

If people face risks because they are homosexual, we should offer them protection ity or religion if it is controversial in their country of origin. But with this week’s decision, the board appears to have changed its perspective and acknowledge that it may be too much to ask someone to hide central aspects of their personality in order not to be targeted.

“The verdict supports the view that individuals may be persecuted because of their background – in this case that the man is a homosexual, which is so tied into his personality that it is too hard to hide,” Singer told The Copenhagen Post.

Many countries around the world persecute homosexuals. The Ugandan parliament has been attempting to pass laws that would subject homosexuals to the death penalty. In Russia, new laws outlawing “homosexual propa-

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uatemalan woman Fernanda Milán has become the first person to be granted asylum in Denmark based on her transgender status.

Milán sought refuge in Denmark on the basis that she would face severe persecution for her gender identity in Guatemala. While living in Guatemala, she says she was attacked and threatened by police because she was an outspoken campaigner for transgender rights.

After her original request for asylum was refused last autumn by Flygtningenævenet, the refugee appeals board, Milán was set to be deported.

Her case was reopened for appeal after LGBT Denmark provided documentation that her life would be in danger if she returned to Guatemala.

“I am very grateful to all the people who have helped me to fight, because in the end I could not have done it on my own,” Milán said in a press release from the T-Refugee Project.

But while the T-Refugee Project is pleased with the outcome, they still expressed frustration that Milán was required to undergo lengthy proceedings.

“We are very relieved that our struggle, together with Fernanda, ended in her being granted asylum,” Stine Larsen, a spokesperson for the T-Refugee Project, said. “But it has been a soul-destroying asylum process with an initial

refusal that was then reversed just three days before her scheduled departure on September 17.”

Following a request from Søren Laursen of the T-Refugee Project, Flygtningenævenet has now announced that it will consider persecution on the grounds of gender identity and sexuality as relevant factors in asylum cases.

Larsen said that Milán’s case brings necessary attention to other asylum cases for transgender people.

“There have only been a few trans cases before the refugee board in the last 20 years, and they were all rejected,” Larsen said. “From what we know, I think there is reason to question those decisions. It is very satisfying that there is now a case that has received a thorough examination that has been successful.”

Larsen hopes that Milán’s case will forge new policies to permanently benefit those seeking asylum citing gender and sexuality issues.

“She has been fighting for her own survival, but she has also fought for transgender seekers who will come after her,” Larsen said. “We hope Fernanda’s case means it will be easier for future transgender asylum seekers.”

UNHCR, the UN refugee commission, recommends that member states consider gender identity criteria for asylum on the grounds that it can be a cause for persecution. Denmark adopted these recommendations in September 2012.

The decision on Milán’s case comes one week after Flygtningenævenet granted asylum to a gay Afghan man because of his sexuality (see story to left).

Law gives support to foreign domestic abuse victims Woman found guilty in historic

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oreigners suffering domestic abuse at the hands of their partners will no longer automatically be deported from Denmark if they leave the relationship.

Foreigners granted residency because of their relationship with their Danish-based partner can apply to remain in the country after the relationship ends if they have lived together in Denmark for more than two years – if not, they may be deported.

As a result, many victims of abuse choose to remain in violent relationships to avoid being deported to their home country.

But now the Justice Ministry has proposed a new law that will mean that foreigners who are victims of domestic abuse will not be automatically deport-

ed if they end their relationship early.

“It was never the goal of immigration rules to keep victims of abuse and their children in marriages with violent spouses or parents,” the justice minister, Morten Bødskov (Socialdemokraterne), wrote in a press release.

Bødskov stressed, however, that the victims of abuse have to demonstrate a will and ability to integrate into Danish society in order to be allowed to remain in the country.

The law change is part of the government’s common policy and is based upon a Norwegian law in which foreign victims of abuse, who otherwise don’t satisfy conditions for residency, are granted family reunification.

Birgit Søderberg, the chair of Landsorganisationen af Kvindekrisecentre, which runs women’s crisis centres across Denmark, told Politiken newspaper that the proposal was a positive move.

“In the best case scenario, the law change will mean that women suffer-

human smuggling case

Colourbox

Foreigners who are victims of domestic abuse need no longer fear being deported if they leave their violent relationship

Prosecutors call for an eight-year jail sentence followed by deportation for the 43-year-old who helped smuggle 493 people into Denmark

Victims of domestic abuse need no longer fear being automatically deported if they leave their partners under a new law

ing violence are freed from the prisons that they are living in,” Søderberg told Politiken. “We have many women at our crisis centres who are in this position, and in our experience they risk social exclusion and even their lives if they return home.”

According to the Danish National Centre for Social Research, the SFI, around 26,000 women in Denmark were the victims of domestic abuse last year. (PS)

A

43-year-old woman has been found guilty in the largest human smuggling case in Denmark’s history.

The woman, who is originally from the Philippines, admitted to helping people from her home country gain illegal access to Denmark by distributing false travel visas. The court believes that 300 of the 493 illegal immigrants have moved on into other EU countries, namely France and Italy, after arriving in Denmark.

The 43-year-old, a mother of three who lives in Thisted, claimed she was not aware of any wrongdoing until her arrest.

“I just wanted to make it easier for

people to come and visit their families,” she told the court. “I had no idea what I was doing was illegal.”

The woman, who has only been identified as IPB, worked at a travel agency that is now registered as bankrupt. It has been revealed that false documentation was given to clients from the company’s office in the Philippines for a price of 70,000 kroner. That package included flight tickets, a travel visa, temporary accommodation, pocket money and a phone card. However, the flight tickets and travel visa could also be bought on their own for a lower price.

IPB was originally charged with 1,049 human smuggling cases, but that number was dramatically reduced during the trial. Prosecutors in the case are seeking an eight-year sentence to be followed by deportation, but the final sentencing isn’t expected to be announced until later this week. (BSM)

News

The Copenhagen Post cphpost.dk

8 - 14 February 2013

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New report: Denmark participated in CIA rendition programme More than 50 countries have helped the United States carry out its policy of transferring detainees without due process, sometimes to countries that practise torture

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enmark assisted the CIA in its worldwide programme to hold, interrogate and sometimes even torture suspected terrorists, a new report reveals.

The newly-released report from the Open Society Foundation said that in the years since the 9/11 attacks in New York City, Denmark has joined with more than 50 other nations worldwide to help the US carry out its policy of ‘extraordinary rendition’ – the practice of transferring detainees without due process and sometimes handing them over to countries that practise torture.

The report ‘Globalising Torture – CIA Secret Detention and Extraordinary Rendition’ was authored by Amrit Singh, the daughter of Indian prime

Incentive continued from front page

health issues who are not ready to reenter the labour market would do little except make them poor.

“What research shows is that you cannot get people like this into work by using incentives like [cutting their benefits],” Pedersen said.

Pedersen’s position was supported by social sciences professor Bent Greve from the University of Roskilde.

“The issue is that the majority of people on social benefits have other problems, and it is this group of unemployed – those who are not ready for the labour market and belong to a low income group – who face the greatest risk of ending up in poverty.”

Constitutionally-guaranteed Kontanthjælp is a constitutionally-guaranteed benefit for people with no other form of income. Single and childless individuals over the age of 25 can claim 10,500 kroner a month before tax while those under 25 can only claim 6,660 kroner a month. It is significantly less than unemployment insurance, dagpenge, which is roughly 17,000 kroner per month before tax. Individuals have to pay an unemployment insurer, an Akasse, for a year before being entitled to dagpenge payments for two years.

According to Jyllands-Posten newspaper, people earning a minimum wage of around 100 kroner an hour enjoy only a marginal economic benefit of about 1,000 kroner a month from taking a job

minister Manmohan Singh. In it, it is revealed that Denmark assisted the CIA by allowing the use of its airspace and airports for flights associated with the CIA operations.

The revelations, however, don’t necessarily qualify as new. In October 2007, Politiken newspaper reported that a CIA rendition flight had received permission to cross Danish airspace on 25 October 2003. That plane is suspected to have been transporting Muhammad Bashmilah from Jordan to US custody at a secret location. The US held Bashmilah in undisclosed locations for over a year and a half.

Bashmilah has said that while he was in custody he endured prolonged beatings and threats of electric shock and the rape of his family members. He was released in March 2006. No formal charges of terrorism have ever been filed against him.

A working document accompanying a 2007 European Parliament report noted that flights associated with CIA extraordinary rendition operations had stopped in Copenhagen. rather than staying on dagpenge.

But Greve argues that for those on kontanthjælp, there is far more significant economic motivation to take a job.

“The vast majority of people would gain quite a bit economically from joining the labour market rather than moving the other way,” Greve said. “But economic motivation is not the only incentive people respond to, and many people choose to take work for social reasons or in order to increase their chances of getting a better job.”

Where did the jobs go?

Around 160,000 jobs have been lost since the financial crisis took hold in 2008, and those jobs currently show no sign of returning. But according to Frederick Pedersen, the chief analyst at the Economic Council of the Labour Movement (AE), the problem with the Danish economy is not that unemployed workers have it too easy.

“The problem is that domestic demand has not recovered from the economic crisis, and households and business are hesitant to spend money,” Frederick Pedersen said. “Our exports have almost returned to pre-crisis levels, but private investment is still low. Public consumption could also be higher as local authorities didn’t spend as much money as they could have last year. So that reduced employment and growth.”

He added that despite flat-lining economic growth and unemployment, other economic indicators, such as high household earnings and low government deficit, show that Denmark’s economy is not in poor shape.

“Denmark is still one of the wealth-

US Department of Defense

Ray Weaver

The rendition flights were started under the administration of George W Bush as part of the US’s extended ‘war on terror’

In a letter to a European Parliament committee, the Danish government reported more than 100 flights alleged to be involved in extraordinary renditions had passed through Danish airspace and stopped at Danish airports 45 times.

It should always pay to work and say ‘yes’ to a job.

That’s not the case today because of the generosity of the welfare system iest and most stable countries in the OECD despite having high taxes, a benefits system and a large public sector. We are consistently in the top ten.”

Part of Denmark’s success could be attributed to wide-ranging welfare reforms carried out over the past decade. Kontanthjælp for under-25s was reduced, the user-subsidised early retirement scheme efterløn was phased out, the length of dagpenge was shortened, and kontanthjælp and the student grant system, SU, are next on the agenda.

No specific proposals for the upcoming kontanthjælp reform have yet been released, but the employment minister, Mette Frederiksen (Socialdemokraterne), last month stated that she was opposed to reducing its generosity and would rather focus on ensuring that young people do not end up having to rely on it in the first place.

“If you grow up with a mother who doesn’t have an education but receives kontanthjælp, there is a high probability that you will face great challenges in your life,” Frederiksen said in January.

“This is fundamentally opposed to the idea of a modern welfare state that provides equal opportunity.”

In 2008, prompted by a documentary film entitled ‘The CIA’s Danish Connection’ detailing various CIA extraordinary rendition flights through Danish airspace, parliament formed a working group to investigate rendition flights. The group’s report concluded

that it was unable to confirm or deny that extraordinary rendition flights had flown in Danish airspace or the airspace of Greenland and the Faroe Islands.

In 2011, following the WikiLeaks release of cables that hinted at collusion between Denmark and the United States to undermine the 2008 investigation, the government announced that a second investigation would be conducted by the independent Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS). The DIIS findings, released in May 2012, ruled that the Danish government followed proper protocol regarding CIA prisoner flights through Greenlandic airspace. The investigation, however, was criticised on the grounds that it was limited to alleged extraordinary rendition flights over Greenland and to a review of the documents obtained in the course of the 2008 investigation. It also disappointed many in Greenland, who had called for a formal inquiry into the CIA flights.

The Open Society Foundation report found that 136 people went through the post-9/11 extraordinary rendition.

Fourteen Copenhagen churches slated to close Peter Stanners Diocese blames thinning population for closures, but announces three new churches for rapidly growing city districts

C

hristian worshippers in Copenhagen may have to travel further on Sundays after the Copenhagen diocese, Købehavns Stiftsråd, on Tuesday selected 14 churches for closure.

From a shortlist of 17 churches, the diocese chose only to save Enghave Church. The fates of the remaining two churches will be decided at a later date.

“We have made a historic decision,” Copenhagen’s bishop Peter Skov-Jakobsen wrote in a press release. “It means that we can now turn our attention towards the future.”

The 14 churches slated for closure have faced dwindling visitor numbers caused both by a historically low membership of the Church of Denmark, Folkekirken, and a thinning population in some areas of Copenhagen.

In 1960, there were 76 churches in four of the capital region’s main councils – Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Tårnby and Dragør – serving a population of around 890,000. By 1990, however, the number of churches jumped to 91 while the population fell to 540,000.

Recommended for closure: Ansgarkirken (Copenhagen NV) Tagensbo Kirke (Copenhagen NV) Samuels Kirke (Copenhagen N) Blågårds Kirke (Copenhagen N) Gethsemane Kirke (Copenhagen V) Absalons Kirke (Copenhagen V) Bavnehøj Kirke (Copenhagen V) Utterslev Kirke (Brønshøj) Ålholm Kirke (Valby) Solbjerg Kirke (Frederiksberg) Sct. Lukas Kirke (Frederiksberg) Sankt Andreas Kirke (Copenhagen K) Sankt Pauls Kirke (Copenhagen K) Fredens Kirke (Copenhagen Ø) The decision to save Enghave Church was due to its proximity to the Carlsberg district of Copenhagen, which is expected to grow rapidly in the years to come. The diocese also announced the planned construction of three new churches in the districts of Sydhavn, Nordhavn and Ørestaden, which are also expected to grow.

“The Church of Denmark will still provide churches that Copenhageners can attend near where they live,” SkovJakobsen wrote.

The diocese’s recommendations were sent to the Ministry of Equality and Churches for the final decision on which churches should close.

Online this week Radikale ignite debate over charging for healthcare The government should take a look at changing the fee structure for some services offered by the national health service, according to members of the centrist government party Radikale.

The majority of services offered by the Danish healthcare service, from hospital visits to expert consultations, are free. But over the

years, a number of charges have been introduced for some services including adult dentistry and prescriptions. Members of Radikale have suggested forming a committee of experts who will examine the consequences and benefits of changing which services citizens should pay for, and how high the fees should be.

Convictions handed down in boating tragedy Lundby Efterskole school headteacher Truels Achton Truelsen was handed a 60-day suspended prison sentence last week on Friday after being found guilty of several charges relating to the boating tragedy that left one teacher dead and several students seriously injured two years ago. The school was also ordered

by the court in Nykøbing Falster to pay 25 separate fines of 10,000 kroner and Truelsen was banned from organising sea activities for students for the next three years. Both the school and the headteacher were found guilty of causing grievous bodily harm, irresponsible sailing, and a failure to comply with sea safety rules.

Greenland research station to monitor climate change Aarhus University has begun the construction of a modern research station in northern Greenland that will monitor how climate change is affecting the region. The station, which will be a vast upgrade from the little shack that currently houses climate

research in the area, will study how the shifting climate alters the air, ocean, geology as well as the plants and animals in the region. It will consist of three substations: a base station, a mobile station, and an air station that will employ unmanned drones.

Read these stories and more at cphpost.dk

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OPINION

THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK

Mineral envy

A smarter city requires smart partnerships JASPER CARLBERG

Denmark is wringing its hands over losing control of Greenland’s mineral wealth at a time when it should be busy digging

8 - 14 February 2013

P

ITY POOR Denmark. So close to unlimited natural resource wealth – first in the North Sea and now Greenland – yet so far away.

Were it a simple matter of geology, the unequal distribution of natural wealth would be easier to take. According to popular lore, Denmark lost the Ekofisk oil field to Norway because the Norwegians managed to get the Danish prime minister at the time drunk during negotiations. Whether it was due to alcohol or not, the negotiating gaffe is one that has earned Norway billions of dollars a year for the past four decades.

But the loss of Ekofisk could pale in comparison to what Denmark stands to lose by crying sour grapes over the loss of control of Greenland’s natural resources Companies in the US, Scotland, Norway, China and more are making serious efforts to find natural resources ranging from iron and gold to uranium and oil. Danish businesses, meanwhile, have only been present on the fringes of this search. Given the two countries’ linguistic and historical connection, as well as a personal invitation by the island’s premier, Denmark had a head-start on Greenland that is now all but squandered.

Part of Denmark’s reluctance may be a feeling of being jilted by its former colony after the island’s government stated Danish companies would not be given special consideration.

Such messages underscore that Copenhagen no longer calls the shots in Greenland. The sooner Danish lawmakers and investors accept this, the sooner they can begin deciding whether their money should be spent on extracting rare earths or rubies.

The involvement of China is especially hard for some in Denmark to swallow. With the country being accused of everything from sending over hordes of slave labourers to using Greenland as a western beachhead, the rhetoric is more reminiscent of the Cold War than 21st century business dealings.

However, focusing exclusively on the negative aspects of Chinese involvement does little to help Danish businesses see the opportunities in Greenland’s recently passed law relaxing regulations for foreign companies establishing large mines. In the Danish press, this law is consistently discussed in terms of how it would benefit Chinese companies. Yet, it could just as well be taken advantage of by other countries – including Denmark.

Critics are correct to point to China’s poor mining track record in Africa as a warning about what could happen in Greenland. There is also uncertainty about whether Greenland’s fledgling public administration is capable of dealing with companies that have more employees than the island has residents.

Given that they managed to convince Copenhagen to sign away its mineral rights, maybe this last concern is overstated.

one of the world’s leading cities when it comes to green and smart energy, efficient public transportation and bicycle logistics, as well as water and wastewater management. We are home to the most advanced electricity grid in Europe, which means that we can offer unique testing facilities – for example, of the smart grid of the future.

A green and smart value proposition

FRANK JENSEN

I

N JANUARY I had the joy of visiting Silicon Valley and New York to meet with a number of technology giants, architects and politicians.

The aim of the trip was to use Copenhagen’s strong position within green technology to attract more foreign investments and business to the city.

Together with Copenhagen Capacity and the Copenhagen Cleantech Cluster, I visited companies with a potential for new solutions within the intelligent management of water, energy and parking and offered them attractive partnerships to develop and test new green technologies. Thus we combine business and job creation with our ambition to make Copenhagen carbon-neutral.

We want to speed up the process of attracting large international technology partners to test and develop the energy management and intelligent infrastructure of tomorrow.

Copenhagen is considered

It is crucial that we become much better at marketing these value propositions towards potential partners.

Copenhagen offers the companies access to 3.8 million people, eleven universities, 150,000 students and 10,000 PhD students. And the expected 20 percent growth in population means that we will be building 45,000 new housing units and 2.8 million sqm of retail, office, cultural and educational space towards 2025.

In order to achieve our goal of making Copenhagen carbonneutral in 2025, we need a smart approach to green mobility initiatives, more energy-efficient buildings and renewable energy production. This is why we invite international companies and entrepreneurs with green ambitions to develop and test Smart City solutions in a real-life environment.

The Copenhagen Cleantech Cluster offers to assist the companies in finding the right partners, to deploy and test solutions and to make them a part of the Copenhagen green brand.

Sharing ideas with New York In New York, the agenda was broader. It was a pleasure to discuss how to ‘green’ and improve the quality of life in our cities with city planners, high-level policymakers and architects. I am impressed by how well people in New York know Copenhagen, our initiatives within sustainability, growth and quality of life and our efforts to make Copenhagen even smarter.

In Copenhagen, we are aware that when we invest in sustainability, the returns should be measured in more than just environmental terms.

It also has financial benefits and it is often good business. A good example is the cleaning of the water in our harbour that has benefited business, tourism and real estate prices.

Another example is our integrated public transportation system. In addition to reducing traffic congestion, it also keeps the city clean and easily accessible. This way of measurement will often make it easier to keep the investments in greening the city high on the agenda.

I also had a very fruitful meeting with New York mayor Michael Bloomberg. We share a lot of ideas on green growth and sustainability. Through the C40 Network on Climate Change, Bloomberg has made great efforts to strengthen the voice of cities in the area of climate change. I am very happy that the mayor of New York has set a clear, green agenda to inspire other big cities around the world. I am confident

it makes a significant difference.

We also discussed initiatives in Copenhagen and New York regarding climate adaptation, preparing for climate change, and how to attract and create jobs in New York and Copenhagen. Copenhagen is chairing a network of cities from the C40, investigating

In Copenhagen, we are aware that when we invest in sustainability, the returns should be measured in more than just environmental terms how cities can work with the private sector to attract investment and create jobs as we are facing the challenge of meeting our environmental targets.

Though you should never count your chickens before they hatch, I am glad to learn that we have enhanced the dialogue with more than half of the companies we met in Silicon Valley. Many of them are making concrete plans to visit Copenhagen and learn more about the potential for collaboration. And I am indeed looking forward to raising the green agenda even further when Copenhagen becomes the European Green Capital in 2014.

The author is the lord mayor of Copenhagen

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Hate the game, not the player The most ironic thing I find in all of this is the fact that this ridiculous, unattainable image of how a woman should look is conceived by women and imposed on other women. Men, for the most part, don’t even like it.

Open a fashion magazine (made by women for women) and an erotic magazine like Playboy or Penthouse (made by men for men), and you can clearly see the disparity in how a woman should look to each group. So it begs asking, if women do this to be more attractive to men, why are they following the wrong source? Every time I have had this conversation with women obsessed with being thin, I show them an erotic model and say, “We want curves, not bones.”

Pc11 By website Huge coffee trolley losses add to DSB’s financial woes

www.cphpost.dk

The losses that the coffee wagons are amassing are totally unacceptable and it doesn’t matter whether it is a state-run or privately-run organisation – it’s totally unacceptable. If the wagons were making a profit, one might have an argument for the high salaries. If it had been

a privately-run organisation it would have been bankrupt long before now and there would have been massive outcry in the Danish red press about the greed and the mismanagement. But of course in Denmark, the Holy Welfare State can do no wrong.

What I don’t understand is that there isn’t a massive outcry from the academic socialists here; they spend years studying and working at qualified jobs that don’t begin to match the coffee stewardesses’ salaries. It seems rather disrespectful to allow this type of salary difference for such a menial job.

Thorvaldsen By website Perhaps a partial privatisation would help? Seriously, dear provincial Danes, do you think 475,000kr is okay as a salary for someone in an unskilled job?

And if you claim it is skilled work, can you justify 475,000kr for pushing a trolley in a train?

This is exactly the problem with Danes and Denmark: they are so closed to new ideas, new solutions, that it is better just to excuse it and keep on doing what they have been doing for so long. Of course, they claim it is the best way and “You are nothing but a foreigner.’ This is what Denmark says to people

who dare criticise or suggest new things (because yes, there are people out there smarter, more dynamic and with better ideas than you) to improve things in the country we choose to live in.

Klaus Gonzalez By website EU proposes electric car ‘plan B’ Denmark is known for biking worldwide. Why not encourage electric bikes instead? Seems like the ‘EU-wide’ EV programme might not make sense for Denmark. Electric bikes would cost less, be more easily supported by the existing power grid and would help reduce congestion. I could imagine a new generation of electric bikes that blur the line between bikes and existing EVs. Perhaps Denmark could redefine this market and the use of electric bikes? I’ve often wondered why there isn’t more innovation in making bikes more all-weather. Seems like Denmark would be the ideal development environment.

Tony Duarte By website Government looks at allowing uranium mining in Greenland Welcome to reality, Denmark!

Greenland’s population of 57,000 can’t support any big in-

dustrial investment. Denmark’s companies can’t employ cheap labour, which is the world norm for mining. So it’s play ball with China or forget it!

Mythirdotheralias By website The Danes thought home rule wouldn’t make a difference since Greenland would just be its usual apathetic self. But in Kuupik Kleist, Greenland has a leader of international stature and Greenland has really kicked itself into action the last couple of years.

The tables seem to be turning, and in the end-analysis, it might be the Danes who end up with the apathy label.

Paspatout By website Universities complain of difficulty employing qualified foreigners Too much paperwork? Sounds like the excuse du jour for why there are so few foreign scholars employed by Danish universities. Danish universities are notorious for nepotistic hiring and promotion practices, as well as for a particular antagonism toward sforeign scholars. ‘Too much paperwork’ sounds like a convenient way to maintain the comfortable status quo.

Marilyn Piety Foley By website

OPINION

THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK

8 - 14 February 2013

What’s in a surname?

J

The Balancing Act

BY SARITA RAJIV Sarita Rajiv recently moved from sunkissed India to snow-topped Denmark.

Having hopped from east to west, she finds herself performing a balancing act between her old and new lives. A communications specialist in the past, she is now a gifting specialist. For more, visit ilovegifting.me

ULIET CAPULET once famously quipped: “What’s in a name?”

In a twist on the classic Shakespearean question, I’ve been hardpressed to address the question: What’s in a surname?

The best part about moving to a new country and continent are the opportunities to meet new people and have new experiences. Never in my wildest dreams would I have guessed that one of my earliest fun experiences would include acquiring a new surname in Denmark.

A couple of days after my arrival in Denmark, I made the mandatory trip to the Borgerservice office for the necessary formalities and paperwork required to receive CPR numbers for my daughter and I. Once all the papers were in order, the final check involved our passports.

The official perusing our papers looked at our passports and said: “There is no surname here.” I explained briefly that some Indians used their father’s or husband’s first name as a part of their own name and did not use a separate surname per se. Short and simple, or so I thought.

Perhaps I should have taken her through the longer version, which re-

For all intents and purposes, I would be Sarita Rajiv Efternavn in Denmark! quires rewinding to the 1960s and 70s.

Several Indians from villages in South India migrated to Bombay (or Mumbai as it is called now) in West India in search of employment. In addition to their first name and father’s name, they had surnames to signify the family they belonged to, the ancestral village they came from or the caste they belonged to. The problem was the surnames were long and difficult to pronounce for most of the rest of the country. Also, when you were living in a multicultural and cosmopolitan city like Mumbai, the family or village you came from was not too important. What mattered was how hard you worked and what you made of your opportunities.

This prompted a large number of South Indians to drop their surnames

and use their father’s name as a part of their given names in an effort to keep it simple. In case you are wondering what I’m talking about, here’s an analogy.

Picture Europe not as a continent but as one country. Imagine the European countries as states within Europe – each with their own languages, customs and culture. This should give you an inkling of the diversity and complexity of India.

After that brief history lesson, let’s return to modern day, in another city in another country. One thing remains unchanged – the surname (or the lack thereof ) continues to pose a challenge.

The Borgerservice official was not convinced by my response. She mentioned that CPR cards could not be issued without a surname. In the absence of a surname, the word ‘efternavn’ (the Danish word for surname or last name) would be added to our names. So in effect, for all intents and purposes, I would be Sarita Rajiv Efternavn in Denmark! My overactive imagination took over, painting not-so-amusing scenarios of my daughter being the butt of jokes at her kindergarten and me explaining to all and sundry just why I had the word ‘efternavn’ after my name, each

9

time I used my CPR card.

No, that would not do. The official kindly offered a solution. If I did not want the word ‘efternavn’ added to my name, all I had to do was get my passport changed to reflect my own surname. I had visions of flying back to India and explaining to an Indian bureaucrat why I needed a new passport. He or she would probably ask me to get the name on my birth certificate changed. Since getting a new passport was not an option, my husband decided to email a complaint. Multiple emails to multiple departments followed several phone calls. Finally, we received new CPR cards with our names as they were in our passports.

In hindsight, I think I should have retained my new surname a little longer.

What a fun conversation starter it could have been. I could have had conversations with complete strangers when I handed over the card at the bank, doctor’s clinic, pharmacy, language school and library. My guess is it would take no less than 15 minutes to explain the story behind the efternavn.

I wonder what Shakespeare would have made of this?

Time to make a permanent withdrawal

I

Christian Values

BY CHRISTIAN WENANDE Christian Wenande’s Danish/American background caters well to a city brimming with cultural diversity and strife. The CPH Post journalist loves life in Copenhagen but yearns for the indomitable mountains, rolling prairie and starry nights of his Wyoming sanctuary.

READ a story last week about a man who went amok at banks in several Jutland towns, smashing up the windows. I imagined the Charles Bronson character, from one of his many ‘Death Wish’ vigilante movies, strutting about with a sledgehammer, brutalising bank windows before uttering one-liners such as “Stick that in your vault”, “You can bank on it!” or “I’d like to make a deposit … of justice.”

The police said that they did not know the motive for the attacks. Well, I’m no Sherlock, but I think I can venture a decent guess. I am, after all, a Danske Bank customer.

Ill will towards Danske Bank began back in 2005 when its former chief executive, Peter Straarup, earned the nickname ‘The fee vulture’ for the many steep fees imposed upon Danske Bank’s customers. Three years later in 2008, IT Factory, which was run by the notorious embezzler Stein Bagger, went bust and Danske Bank revealed that it lost 350 million kroner in the debacle.

Straarup admitted that the bank had made a mistake, but customers and

stockholders are still bitter that a bulk of that money has yet to be recovered, while Bagger, or Steen Bech as he likes to call himself now, received only a seven-year sentence for his role in financially crippling thousands of businesses and people.

But Danske Bank wasn’t finished with poor investments there. In 2011, an analysis from the bank’s own marketing department indicated that investments in Ireland had cost stockholders a staggering 34 billion kroner in lost market capitalisation.

In late 2012, Danske Bank attempted to polish its tattered reputation through its ‘New Standards’ promotional campaign that amazingly included ‘Occupy Wall Street’ demonstrations, starving children in Africa and robots playing football. The campaign attracted intense criticism as none of the campaign reflected the bank’s own reality. A polished turd is, at the end of the day, still a turd.

But still, the bank wasn’t finished.

Its new chief executive, Eivind Kolding, made an appearance in Politiken newspaper in December apologising for the campaign and also the bank’s role in

the financial crisis. The apology seemed hollow at best. One recent Politiken survey indicated that over 70 percent of people didn’t accept the apology.

Not only did it come at a time when the bank was haemorrhaging customers, but just a month later the ‘apology’ was followed up by the bank initiating a new programme in which many customers were asked to pay more fees for having an account with the bank – some 120 kroner per quarter. This is after the Danish taxpayers bailed out the bank to the tune of 15 billion kroner in the Bank Package deals.

So when I walked into my local bank in Østerbro last week in an attempt to deposit a small wad of cash that I’d received for Christmas, I was understandably a little irate. I wanted nothing more than to make the transaction and leave the bank in a hurry.

But instead, I was informed that my bank along with 130 other branches, had discontinued their practice of making transactions face-to-face. I asked how the hell I was supposed to deposit my cash and was told that the nearest

Danske Bank that handled cash transaction was in town. Well, how about little old Mrs Olsen and anyone else who is unable to use a computer for their transactions? Are they really telling 80-year-olds to “go to town” to take care of their banking needs?

I stood there for several moments, paralysed in disbelief, before muttering something unintelligible and leaving in a daze.

When I came to my senses I was back at home again. Had I been in the Twilight Zone? Had I just gone into another dimension of sound, sight and mind? I realised that I was a customer of a bank to which I was paying a fee to have an account, but whose service apparently did not include me being able to deposit my money. I put my money in a drawer, pleased that there was no fee for doing so.

The next day, I started looking for a new bank.

Customers complain of long waits Danske Bank’s cutting of personal services at most branches faces criticism, page 15

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10 News Ministers aim to clean up unregulated tattoo industry The Copenhagen Post cphpost.dk

A ban on carcinogenic material in tattoo ink and an artists’ registration system proposed, but critics say measures don’t go far enough

T

he health minister and environment minister have teamed up in an attempt to clean up what they have termed the “Wild West” atmosphere in the Danish tattoo industry.

In a press release, the Health Ministry says that it will ban tattoo ink containing carcinogenic materials and implement a ‘registered tattooist’ programme to ensure that tattoo artists live up to hygiene and education requirements.

“Every year thousands of Danes get tattoos,” the environment minister, Ida Auken (Socialistisk Folkeparti), said.

“There are chemical substances [in tattoo ink] that are put into the skin and can be absorbed by the body, so therefore it is important that these substances do not present a health risk.”

A study by the government’s environmental protection agency, Miljøstyrelsen, revealed that around one in every five tattoo inks on the Danish market contains substances that can increase the risk of cancer. According to Auken, those substances will now be banned.

“There are currently no rules in the area today, but as Miljøstyrelsen’s research clearly shows, there is a need to act,” Auken said.

The new requirements regarding tattoo ink will also require the ink be sterile – another area that is currently not regulated.

Problems with tattoo inks generally include itching, swelling and infections, but more extreme cases have been docu-

mented in Denmark including one Jutland man who had to have his leg amputated after a tattoo became infected.

According to the health minister, Astrid Krag (Socialistisk Folkeparti), her recently announced proposal to implement a voluntary registration system will also protect consumers.

“More and more Danes are getting tattooed, so it is important that we protect them the best we can,” Krag said. “By choosing a ‘registered tattooist’, one can be sure that the place is in order and that it is not dangerous to get tattooed there.”

Under the ‘registered tattooist’ scheme, tattoo artists would be given a sign similar to the Smileys used in the restaurant business that would convey to customers that the artist has undergone a basic education and that the shop’s hygiene is up to par.

But when Krag first announced the registration system back in October, it was criticised by doctors and tattooists for its voluntary nature.

“This is a health issue,” Jørgen Serup, a dermatologist at Bispebjerg Hospital, told Berlingske newspaper at the time. “To put tattoo artists in charge of it themselves is akin to having the fox guard the henhouse.”

Johnny Hansen, the chairman of the Danish tattoo artists’ guild, Dansk Tatovør Laug, told Berlingske that he was positive about the proposed registration system, but said it should be compulsory and overseen by public authorities.

However, British tattoo artist Alex – who has been tattooing in Copenhagen for 12 years – said the regulations would have little effect.

“Every other EU country already has regulations on ink and on what you can and cannot use,” Alex said. “So professional tattoo artists who are buying

Colourbox

Justin Cremer

8 - 14 February 2013

While government officials look to institute controls over a largely-unregulated industry, one Copenhagen tattoo artist dismissed the proposals as “just for show”

from professional suppliers only have regulated ink available.”

Alex didn’t think the Smiley-like system would be of any help either.

“I think it’s all for show,” Alex, who tattoos at Rites of Passage near Nytorv, said. “You can go to a studio and it might look clean, but if the people working there have no training, what does it matter? You can have all the Smileys in the world on the wall and still walk out with a bad tattoo.”

Alex said he probably wouldn’t bother with the registration system and suggested that if the government really wanted to do something productive, it

The tale of a doomed dog and a rogue police officer Sentenced to be put down, the dog was ‘rescued’ by a police officer who took the law into his own hands

I

t’s been a crazy week in the life of Thor the dog. The German Shepherd was due to be put to sleep on January 30 for biting another dog and causing injuries that authorities ruled were grave. But the night before he was due to be put down, following an online effort by animal lovers to have his life spared, Thor was ‘kidnapped’ from a Hillerød kennel.

It was originally reported that the dog was taken from Hestehavehus Hundepension kennel by a man who impersonated a police officer.

But two days later, it was discovered that Thor was taken from the kennel by North Zealand police assistant Lars Bo Lomholt, who now faces charges of misconduct.

Lomholt has 20 years experience as a police officer. He said that he took the dog for moral reasons.

“I know I did something crappy,” he told Ekstra Bladet tabloid. “But I had simply had enough.”

According to media reports, Lomholt faces losing his job and may also be fined for his action.

Following Lomholt’s actions, the whereabouts of Thor became unknown.

But Lomholt’s boss, North Zealand Po-

lice director Finn Borch Andersen, said that the death sentence stands.

“We still have a ruling that the dog should be put down, and that is still our point of departure,” Andersen told BT tabloid, adding that he was disappointed in Lomholt.

“He was employed to ensure that the coun- This isn’t the real Thor; he was unavailable for comment try’s laws are followed,” Andersen said. “If every police officer police ruled that Thor’s behaviour was could just choose themselves what they not ‘natural’. want to do, we wouldn’t have a society “We have looked at the circumstanclike we have today – we would have es and the facts, and the vet has estimated chaos.” that there were several bite wounds and Thor’s fate was sealed in September that the injured dog received stitches sev2012 when the seven-year-old Alsatian eral times,” police spokesperson Thomas and his owner Jette went out for one of Kristensen told Ekstra Bladet. their usual walks when a smaller dog But dog advocates Fair Dog conjumped out from behind a container, tend that the police are in the wrong. scaring Thor so much that he bit the “We are shocked that the police can dog once. decide whether a dog is to be put down Jette and the owner of the smaller or not. They are to evaluate what the dog were both apologetic and ex- natural behaviour of a dog is. They say changed information. When the smaller that it was not natural that Thor bit the dog was taken to the vet, the incident dog, but it was. It is not necessarily a was reported to the police and Jette re- grievous bite if the dog exhibits natuceived a fine, which she promptly paid, ral behaviour,” Charlotte Andersen, the assuming that the case was over. head of Fair Dog, told Ekstra Bladet.

But ten weeks later, three policeA Facebook campaign protesting men showed up at Jette’s door and took against Thor’s death sentence has been Thor. It transpired he had been ordered shared over a thousand times and the to be put to sleep because of the inju- story has featured heavily in national ries sustained by the smaller dog. The media coverage.

Colourbox

Christian Wenande

should focus on the education aspect and ensure that tattoo artists have a certain level of blood training so they can learn about the dangers of crosscontamination.

Sine Jensen, a spokesperson at the consumer watchdog Forbugerrådet, agreed that the ministers’ plan was ineffective.

“It is simply too weak to make a voluntary system,” Jensen told DR News.

“If this is to benefit consumers, all tattooists need to be registered.”

Jensen also criticised the ministry’s plans for failing to include regulations regarding piercing and body modifica-

tions such as branding.

“There are no rules in that area and that means, in principle, that you can pierce a baby or perform a tongue splitting or branding on a teenager,” Jensen told DR. The Health Ministry plans to accompany the tattoo ink regulations, which will come into effect within a year, with a public education campaign.

The registration system will come into effect on July 1 if the law proposal is approved.

Approximately 13 percent of Danes are tattooed, and the number continues to rise, especially among women.

Abandoned baby leads to call for political action Politician calls for baby depositary system employed in other countries after baby almost freezes to death

A

n abandoned newborn baby who was discovered last week on Thursday in Valby would have frozen to death without the quick thinking of a passer-by.

The newborn was found by a man who was coincidentally passing by with his own baby carriage. His quick reactions quite likely saved the little girl, whose body temperature had dropped significantly. The man immediately called for an ambulance before taking the baby into a heated car to get her out of the five-degree blustery weather.

When the baby arrived at hospital, she had a temperature that had fallen to 27 degrees Celsius, but the condition of the 3.5kg girl is now considered stable.

Authorities have not been able to establish the identity of the mother yet, but one psychologist suggested that the woman may have panicked after giving birth.

“One guess could be that the birth may have triggered a panic reaction and that it all could have seemed too immense a task for the woman,” Kuno Sørensen, a psychologist from aid organisation Red Barnet, told metroXpress newspaper. “Fortunately, these cases are

very rare in Denmark and there are usually years between each case. Something unique must have happened for her to react this way.”

MP Özlem Cekic (Socialistisk Folkeparti) contended that there should be alternatives available to mothers who are unable to deal with their child after giving birth, such as a baby depositary system.

“We need to see what other countries are doing. The Netherlands, Germany, Japan, Russia and Hungary use the baby depositary system,” Cekic told Ritzau news service.

The police want to hear from anyone who knows anything about the worn, purple Dunlop sports bag in which the baby was found. Aside from the baby, the bag also contained two towels – a black one with the initials IG and a brown beach towel.

“We hope to find the mother, but these cases have proven to be very difficult in the past, so we hope to get some help from anyone who may have seen something or may know a woman who has given birth or soon should be,” Henrik Erik Raben, a police commissioner from Copenhagen Police, told metroXpress.

Anyone with information pertaining to the case contact call the police by calling 114. (CW)

community

The Copenhagen Post cphpost.dk

8 - 14 February 2013

11

Bowled over, not just by the blackout, but another AmCham blinder Photos: Pamela Juhl

Words: Ben Hamilton

The AmCham Denmark Super Bowl Party never fails to disappoint, and once again on Sunday evening, hundreds of mostly Danish and American gridiron enthusiasts descended on the Crowne Plaza Copenhagen Towers − an appropriate venue for the king of sports events. They were treated to a fantastic buffet, a pre-game quiz, an obligatory Budweiser or two and a fantastic game that included for the first time ever sibling coaches and a lengthy delay caused by a floodlight failure

AmCham executive director Stephen Brugger was happy to share his thoughts about the big game with TV2 …

Competing for the role of the evening’s quarterback were the Budweiser girls. It was a tight contest, but our office experts reckon the one on the right has the better grip

It was good practice for Fulton who then met the real deal: national team players Jimi Smidth, Niclas Steglich, and Daniel Before he huddled up with outgoing US ambassador Laurie S Fulton, with Allan Ager- Mortensen, who were in attendance along with Louise Lownsbrough (left) of the Danish American Football Federation holm (left) of Crowne Plaza looking on

The winners of the table quiz were all given a free shot at whoever they fancied, or so they initially thought – it turned out the balls were part of their prize, along with some DAFF cookbooks. The night’s other prizes included ones donated by the Crown Plaza (a The Squares Pool, which involved predicting the score at the end of each quarter, rewards card worth 75,000 points), the Hard Rock Café (dinner for four) and a Budweiser proved to be particularly popular. All proceeds went to the AmCham Education and (a crate of 11B beer) Integration Fund

The all-you-can-eat buffet was once again extremely popular as those gathered chowed The Philadelphia Eagles? Are they even a team anymore? Apparently, but despite a rich down on hotwings, hamburgers and hot fries history in the pre-Super Bowl era, they have never won the big game

There was no shortage of balls: both the physical variety and the expectant belief of the respective fans in their teams, the San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Ravens

The lucky winner of two return tickets to the US, courtesy of Icelandair, was Michael Wood

It was a night for buddies to share a Bud and enjoy the Big Game

12

COMMUNITY

THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK

8 - 14 February 2013

ABOUT TOWN PHOTOS BY HASSE FERROLD UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED

Copenhagen Fashion Week once again took over the city last week, starting on Wednesday and ending on Sunday (see page 4 for more details). From left-right, the Vivienne Westwood show Radio and TV host Jørgen de Mylius, the subject of last week’s Who is … wowed Børsen, the Ecco Walk in Style awards lit up City Hall, and the CIFF Kids trendshow stole hearts at the Bella Center column on page 18, celebrated 50 years in the business in style at a lavish occasion last week on Tuesday. The 66-year-old (right) is pictured here with (left-right) Dario Campeotto, Kirsten Siggaard and his daughter – whose actually younger than her nephews and nieces

Esteemed British composer Simon Rattle was in town on Saturday to receive the Léonie Sonnings Musikpris 2013 at DR Konsertsal. On the left he is receiving the prize from Michael Schønwandt, one of Denmark’s top composers. And on the right he found himself in high demand from (left-right) renowned recorder player Michala Petri, a previous recipient of the award, UK ambassador Vivien Life and German ambassador Michael Zenner

Slovakia’s deputy ambassador Magda Pospisilova is leaving Danish shores and marked the occasion with a farewell reception at the ambassador’s residence last week on Wednesday. Here she is pictured with her replacement Stanislav Lipovsky (left) and Slovakian ambassador Radomir Bohac (right)

Kirsten Refsing from the University of Copenhagen was the guest speaker at the latest meeting of Club Nippon last week on Wednesday at the residence of Japanese ambassador Toshio Sano (right). She spoke about Japan’s Ainu people and their interaction with British missionaries in the 19th and 20th centuries

INSPIRATION FROM THE SPIRE

Jonathan LLoyd is the Anglican/Episcopal priest in Denmark. You can find him on your way to the Little Mermaid at St Alban’s Church, Churchillparken. This may seem like a little piece of England complete with its distinctive spire and statue of Sir Winston, but it gathers people from across the globe plus hundreds of tourists each week. Jonathan has lived in Copenhagen for nearly four years and loves the place.

Conflict and reconciliation: a learning process

S

Vroom, Vroom! Italian ambassador Carlo Tripepi hosted a VIP Maserati Quattroporte event at his residence last week on Thursday. It was a sneak preview of a car that won’t make its official European premiere until the first week of March at the Geneva Motorshow

An Argentine-Danish concert at Garnisonskirken on Sunday included the European premiere of new work

by Argentine composer Pablo Ortiz, the composer-in-residence for 2013 at Ars Nova Copenhagen. The event was then followed by a reception at the Argentine Embassy attended by (left-right) Ars Nova’s Thomas Kiørbye, British conductor Paul Hillier, Ortiz and Argentine chargé d’affaires Marcelo Pujo

T ALBAN’S CHURCH stands distinctively on the edge of Kastellet next to the Gefion Fountain.

There is much history surrounding us.

On one side, in Churchillparken, there is a bust of Winston Churchill, and also those of two of the country’s Second World War military heroes, Anders Lassen and Kaj Birksted. On the other, there is the bridge over to Kastellet, where the Nazi invasion started on 9 April 1940 when an advance explosives commando on bicycles blew the gates of the fort open. Just around the corner at Langelinie quay, the German passenger ship Hansestadt Danzig slipped into the harbour and dropped off an infantry battalion of 800. The rest is history.

I once met an incredible man called Harry Patch. He was born in my home city of Bath. He was the last remaining British veteran of the trenches of the First World War and died in July 2009 aged 111. Locally he was known as ‘the Last Fighting Tommy’.

I find it much harder to connect

to the First World War, although my father was born in 1918. But perhaps this coming year is an opportunity to do so as the commemorations of the centenary of the First World War will be starting around Europe and lasting for four years. In England there is already controversy. On one hand, there are those who want to focus only on

The First World War, however, was not just a British and German experience, but a worldwide one the British military victory against the Germans. On the other, there are those who want a much wider commemoration that includes all sides, and asks questions about what the First World War did to change Europe, the world and indeed humanity itself.

The First World War, however, was not just a British and German ex-

perience, but a worldwide one. It was fought across Europe, involving − as well as Britain, France and Germany − the overrun Belgium, the countries of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Russia, the Balkans and many more. The suffering of all sides on the Eastern Front, if not quite on the same scale as in the West, was appalling. It was also fought in Africa and the Middle East, and on oceans across the world.

There will be arguments still about the rights and wrongs of the war. But there can surely be no denying that from a European-wide perspective, it was a tragedy of human loss and ensuing bitterness that sowed the seeds of future conflicts − the results of which are still apparent today in, for example, the Balkans and parts of the Middle East. It is a moment for Europe as a whole to reflect on the disaster that was allowed to happen, and the lessons that have been and still need to be learnt from it, and also to give thanks for the extent to which European nations are now reconciled and committed to solving conflicts by non-violent means.

COMMUNITY

THE COPENHAGEN POST CPHPOST.DK

8 - 14 February 2013

13

Ambassador takes in the sights – in parliament and on the hallowed plinth Filipino diplomat might have globetrotted the world, but he says the Nordic region is quickly becoming one of his favourite locations

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AYANI S MERCADO, the Filipino ambassador to the Nordic countries, visited Copenhagen last week from Thursday until Saturday. The Copenhagen Post caught up with Mercado to discuss his visit and his reflections on his international career.

Mercado, who has served as an ambassador to the region since 2011, has enjoyed an active career in foreign affairs since 1979. He said he knew from a young age that he was suited to a career in diplomacy.

“I decided to become an ambassador because I really loved travelling and meeting people from different cultures as a young man,” Mercado told The Copenhagen Post. “So I decided to take the exams to work for the foreign ministry.”

The ambassador’s career has taken him to various living locations around the world, from New York to Canada to Guam and now Oslo, where he currently resides. Mercado explained that he’s always found it easy to feel at home almost anywhere.

“I try to live like the local people wherever I go, and that helps with adjusting,” he said. “But I’ve found that when you move around so much, you learn to anticipate the frequent change.”

When asked which location he’d enjoyed living in the best, Mercado struggled to choose a favourite.

“I lived in New York for 12 years and always thought that was my favourite place,” he said.

“Two of my three children were born there, so it’s always held a

I decided to become an ambassador because I really loved travelling and meeting people from different cultures as a young man certain attachment for me. But now the Nordic countries are really climbing the list. Anywhere I go, though, I seem to enjoy it.”

Mercado suggested that his optimism and love of adventure may just be part of his Filipino upbringing.

“The people of the Philippines are very fun-loving and positive,” he explained. “Every-

COMING UP SOON

Entrepreneurship and Creativity Workshop Books & Company, Sofievej 1, Hellerup; Feb 20 19:00-21:00; 75kr; email signup@booksandcompany.dk to sign up An interesting and inspiring seminar on entrepreneurship.

Expat Spouse: Driving family force or drifting talent?

Books & Company, Sofievej 1; Hellerup; March 6, 09:00-11:00; 50kr; email signup@booksandcompany.dk to sign up Almost 80 percent of expat partners leave their job to follow love across the world – and less than 15 percent of those find paid work while living overseas. While some enjoy raising a family in an international environment, others find themselves in a rut. This workshop covers the latest perspectives on expat partner talent and includes discussions about how companies can use the expertise of international spouses and how the expat spouses can maintain a work-life balance.

CTC Open Stage Night Copenhagen Theatre Circle Meetup; Cafe Cadeau, HC Ørstedsvej 28, Frederiksberg; Fri Feb 15, 19:00, doors open 18:15; free adm Join Copenhagen Theatre Circle at their Open Stage night, where English-language performers can let their inner talents shine.

Whether you’re a poet, comedian, musician or magician, this event is for all genres – so you’ll be sure to get an evening of variety. Prone to stage fright? Fear not: sit back and enjoy from the audience with food and drinks from the cafe. Cafe Cadeau is a non-profit cafe staffed by volunteers that offers refreshments at reasonable prices – so come prepared to help support the venue.

The American Dream Revisited Studenterhuset, Købmagergade 52, Cph K; Tue 18:00-20:00; free adm Join the Danish Institute for Study Abroad (DIS) for an evening of storytelling and discussion about America. A follow-up on DIS’s November and January panel discussions, this session will focus on revisiting concepts of the American Dream, its relevance in the 21st century and what it means to be an American in the current era. Various panellists will share stories about their relation to the US and engage listeners in conversations about the country after the November election. They will also touch on any issues of interest to the audience.

The Plant Hunters: Explorers, Botanists & Forgotten Heroes Folk Universitet, Niels Bohr Institut, Blegdamsvej 17, Bldg D, Cph Ø; Thu 17:15-19:00, starts Feb 14, ends March 14; 440kr; www. fukbh.dk This course, taught in English, will explain how our exotic house plants travelled across Asia, Australia and the Americas to find homes in European gardens.

HASSE FERROLD

JESSICA HANLEY

Ambassador Bayani S Mercado was photographed back in October when he attended the Asia Business Forum

one is always smiling. It’s part of our culture to be optimistic.”

“It’s a bit different compared to the Nordic countries,” Mercado joked. “At first, people don’t seem that friendly and are a bit more serious, but once you get to know them, they become very good friends. It just takes a bit longer.”

During his time here, Mercado has noticed a few other differences between the Nordic region and his home country. But the most important thing he’s learned, he said, is not to let the weather affect his plans.

“If you want to ride your bike or go running and it’s raining, ride it anyway. Go anyway,” he said.

As this visit – his second trip to Copenhagen – came to an end, Mercado looked forward to returning soon. For him, visiting the attractions like parliament and Christianshavn were the highlights of the visit – and one small statue stood out in particular.

“I’ve wanted to see the Lit-

sale

Organisation and management: understanding human behaviour in organisations Folk Universitet, Njalsgade 120148; Cph S; Saturdays 10:1514:00, starts March 2, ends April 13; 880kr; www.fukbh.dk Lecturer Syed Salman Ahmad of Copenhagen Business School endeavours to deepen participants’ understanding of human behaviour at individual and group levels in an organisation. This interactive course will cover values and ethics, job satisfaction and learning and behaviour modification, among other topics.

Puppyhagen: a Meetup for Puppies Fælledparken, Cph Ø; Sun 13:00-14:00; www.meetup.com/ dogenhagen If your puppy is one or less, bring it along for a walk with other expats. The off-leash area in Fælledparken allows dogs to run free and their owners to get to know each other. Meet at the Trianglen entrance to the park.

Mindfulness course for expats MBSR Course, Østerbrogade 56D, Cph Ø; eight-week course on Mondays, 18:30-21:00, not April 1, starts Feb 11; 4,500kr; contact Carina Lyall at kontakt@ mindfulground.dk or 3142 4404; www.mindfulground.dk Stressed-out expats can reclaim their calm and relaxation with a new mindfulness course in English.

JESSICA HANLEY

tle Mermaid since I was a child and read Hans Christian Andersen,” he explained. “Seeing that on this trip was really a dream come true.”

While there’s no telling what the ambassador will take on next, it’s safe to venture that he’ll be bringing his fun-loving Filipino spirit wherever he goes.

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14

Sports

The Copenhagen Post cphpost.dk

8 - 14 February 2013

Bjarke Smith-Meyer Danish cyclist Michael Rasmussen pledges to help clean up the sport following his high-profile admission last week

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anish cyclist Michael ‘The Chicken’ Rasmussen has announced his immediate retirement after receiving a suspension of six years from the sport by Anti Doping Denmark for substance abuse.

“I know I’ve lied and cheated,” Rasmussen said at a press conference last week. “I fully accept the punishment handed to me, and I will continue to work with the anti-doping authorities to help clean up the sport.”

The 38-year-old admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs from 1998 to 2010 at a press conference in Herning on Thursday January 31, where he was accompanied by team managers Christina and Claus Hembo.

On the same day, Denmark’s cycling watchdog, Anti Doping Denmark, revealed in a separate press statement that ‘The Chicken’ had been co-operating with international cycling authorities

for the two weeks running up to the conference.

“I’m obviously disappointed to learn that Rasmussen was doping,” Lone Hansen, the head of Anti Doping Denmark, said in a press statement. “But I would like to express my satisfaction that he has decided to co-operate with the anti-doping authorities. Not only about doping offences, but also to give insight into an otherwise secret part of professional cycling.”

Rasmussen, who was the team leader of Christina Watches/Onfone, has faced long-term allegations of doping since his team withdrew him from the 2007 Tour de France after he was unable to answer questions about his location during preparations for the race. He had claimed that he was training in Mexico when spotted by a retired cyclist in Italy. Rasmussen had been on the brink of victory at the time, wearing yellow and just four stages away from Paris.

Normally, the minimum suspension length for a second violation of the anti-doping regulations is eight years. However, that has been reduced by two years due to Rasmussen’s decision to provide “substantial

Scanpix/ Henning Bagger

It’s a fair coop as Chicken admits to 12 years of doping

Christian Wenande

D

Rasmussen could finally look into the camera and show the real man behind the facade

assistance” to the authorities.

He is said to have used 100,000 units of EPO, cortisone and growth hormones in 2007, as well as carrying five bags of blood transfusions in case he faced random testing.

Rasmussen, who served a two-year ban following his withdrawal from the 2007 Tour de France, has not competed in the

Tour de France since returning to competitive cycling. When he joined his current team in 2009, they announced they were hopeful of qualifying for the WorldTour, cycling’s premier tier, in 2016.

Morten Mølholm Hansen, a board member of Anti Doping Denmark and the director of development at the Sports Con-

federation of Denmark, hopes that Rasmussen’s confession will serve as an example for future cyclists coming into the sport.

“It’s an important message to young athletes who might consider doping,” Hansen said in a press statement. “You can’t hide behind a negative test result forever. You will get caught eventually.”

All quiet on the transfer front for domestic clubs and players The winter transfer period didn’t provide much action with the biggest surprise perhaps coming in the deals that failed to materialise

F

C Nordsjælland was by far the busiest Superliga club during the transfer period, bringing in five players and moving eleven out. Among those leaving were Enoch Adu (to Club Brugge), Michael Parkhurst (Augsburg) and Mikkel Beckmann (APOEL Nicosia), while there were several interesting looking players such as Francisco Calvo (Municipal Pérez Zeledón), Uffe Bech (Lyngby) and Ricardo Bueno (on loan from Atletico Goianiense) among the new recruits.

The next busiest teams were Esbjerg, Randers and SønderjyskE, all of which concluded six transfers each.

Nevertheless, Jesper Helmin, the editor of football website Bold.dk, contended that this

year’s winter transfer period was rather quiet compared to previous years.

“At the beginning of January, there were some deals that were completed, but then again there was the usual quiet ten to 14 day period in mid-January when not much happens,” Helmin told The Copenhagen Post. “Usually, there is a lot of action in the last three or four days of January, but that was clearly not the case this year.”

There were a few decent deals for Danish clubs, however. FC Copenhagen signed former Denmark international Daniel Jensen on a free transfer, OB nicked former Ajax talent Darko Bodul, and Randers signed Lorenzo Davids, the cousin of former Netherlands star Edgar Davids.

And there were several interesting moves abroad, including the transfer of Aarhus GF’s Arón Johannsson, the Superliga’s current joint top scorer, to AZ in the Netherlands, and Andreas Laudrup’s loan deal with St Etienne in France.

for Okore after his stellar Champions League performances, and pundits had predicted that he had played his last game for FC Nordsjælland. But, alas, despite a serious bid from Fulham, he remains a Tiger.

“I’m not sad, but I’d really hoped to move on now and prove myself at a higher level,” Okore told BT newspaper. “But it’s tough to settle in a team half way through the season, and clubs often make emergency buys in January. I was prepared to stay

Brøndby bounces back

First match fixing case, but is it the last?

Following a week of negotiations with creditors and investors, troubled club Brøndby, which is currently bottom of the Superliga standings, has announced that its future is assured. Trading in the club’s shares were suspended on Monday amid bankruptcy concerns, but the club responded by confirming a new share issue to raise up to 150 million kroner in the spring.

The country’s football association, the DBU, revealed on Monday that Kristoffer Wichmann from First Division club FC Vestsjælland has been involved in a match-fixing case and banned for six months. The DBU alleges that Wichmann, 31, committed a ‘Level 2’ matchfixing offence, which means that he bet on his own matches as part of an organised group. The case is the first of its kind in Denmark

Enoch Adu (left) has left FCN for Club Brugge

But the biggest surprise of the transfer period would have to be the deals that didn’t happen. Nicklas Helenius, Mads Albæk, Casper Sloth, Christian Bolaños, Andreas Cornelius and Jores Okore were all considered hot property when the transfer period opened up for business, but all stayed put.

Okore in particular was expected to move to a big club.

Top clubs like Juventus, Chelsea, Manchester United and AC Milan were supposedly gagging

enmark’s list of sporting millionaires in five years’ time could very well include Caroline Woznaicki, Christian Eriksen, Thorbjørn Olesen and ... Tine Baun?

Yes, you heard right. Denmark’s top female badminton player, who is currently ranked #7 in the world, could potentially be raking it in thanks to an ambitious badminton project taking place in India at the moment.

The Indian Badminton League (IBL), which is scheduled to launch in June, could shoot Denmark’s badminton players to wealth and fame. The league will consist of six teams, each with eleven doubles and singles players.

Each team will be allowed to have four foreign players on its books, and the organisers are confident their record-setting prize funds will attract the world’s top players to the league.

The potential earnings will far outstrip what Baun and her compatriots earn in Denmark.

In a country that favours cricket, organisers knew they had to take a different approach when promoting the sport.

“It’s not seen as a glossy, sexy sport,” Ashish Chadha, the CEO of sports promotion company Sporty Solutionz, which conceived the IBL, told BBC News. Bollywood performances will entertain the supporters between games and the aim is to create a carnival type atmosphere at the games. Chadha said that he had even secured the South Korean pop star Psy, most famous for the mega hit ‘Gangnam Style’, to perform.

Badminton is quickly gaining popularity in India thanks to the success of home-grown players like Saina Nehwal, who won one of India’s three medals at the 2012 London Olympics and is currently ranked second in the women’s world rankings.

Aside from Baun, the top Danish men’s, women’s and mixed doubles pairs, who are ranked #1, #3 and #4 respectively, will all be hopeful of an invitation from the league in the near future.

another six months anyway, and that’s what will happen.”

And Helmin argued that it was no coincidence that some of the best assets on display in the Superliga ended up staying put.

“I think that clubs in the countries that usually buy Danish players, like in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany, are strapped for cash, which means they are less likely to shell out massive fees for quality players like Okore,” Helmin told The Copenhagen Post. “Furthermore, Danish teams had a mediocre year in Europe, which also didn’t help matters.”

There wasn’t much more action for the Danes on the international scene. Niki Zimling moved from Club Brugge to Bundesliga outfit Mainz 05; Matti Lund Nielsen stayed in Italy, moving from Pescara in Serie A down to Verona in Serie B; and Tobias Mikkelsen left German team Greuther Fürth for Rosenborg in Norway to join up with Nicki Bille Nielsen who left Villarreal in Spain.

Scanpix/Torkil Adsersen

Christian Wenande

Badminton eyes passage to India

Sports news IN brief Bang! Watch out Oz!

So over Down Under

The country’s top Aussie rules player, Aksel Bang, the player of the tournament at last year’s AFL Euro Cup, has been handed a scholarship by Greater Western Sydney that could see him become the first Dane to play in the AFL. However, Bang is due to start six months national service in Afghanistan shortly and will not meet his new employer until after Easter.

The Danish swimming team have found out this week that their new swimming coach is Shannon Rollason, who is leaving a similar position at the Australian Institute of Sport where he personally oversaw the preparations of the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay team – Australia’s only gold in the pool at the Olympics. It is something of a coup considering that Dutchman Paulus Wildeboer

resigned as Denmark’s coach to take over the reins of Swimming Queensland last November.

The move is a particularly good one for 100m freestyle specialist Jeanette Ottesen, who at 25, will now look to the future with renewed confidence. Rollason, who will step down at the end of the month, has revealed that he turned down an approach from Britain’s swimming team during last year’s Olympics.

and follows a DBU investigation that started in September 2011.

Wichmann, 31, denied the allegations, saying that the DBU is using him to gain political publicity. The news developed on the same day that Europol, the continent’s main law enforcement agency, confirmed that it is currently investigating 380 suspicious matches across the continent as part of an 18-month ongoing investigation.

Business

The Copenhagen Post cphpost.dk

8 - 14 February 2013

Danske Bank customers forced to queue for hours Danske Bank

Christian Wenande As company ends traditional in-person transactions at most of its branches, customers still needing personal service are faced with waiting areas and long queues

D

anske Bank customers have found themselves queuing for hours after the bank ended face-to-face banking transactions at 131 of their branches in early January. The remaining branches are so congested with customers that people can’t even find a place to sit down.

One Danske Bank customer, Anita Kiim, was shocked at what she experienced last Thursday when she went to the Rådhuspladsen branch in Aarhus, one of the city’s last two branches offering face-toface bank transactions.

“It was simply packed with people, and there were no places to sit down. It took exactly an hour and twelve minutes for me in there,” Kiim told P4 Østjylland radio station. “There was an older lady who began weeping because she said she didn’t have the strength to come all the way to town. She didn’t understand the Dankort system or computers and didn’t have many family members to help her.”

Danske Bank has prioritised online banking, but advocates for the elderly say that the change puts older people in a real bind

The head of the Aarhus branch, Michael Thunbo, said that the bank was prepared for the increased traffic, but that the queuing is part of some early growing pains.

“We have to get used to the fact that there will always be longer queues at the end of

the month, but we hope that we’ve adequately explained to people that there is an alternative method that will reduce the queues and waiting times,” Thunbo told DR News, referring to online banking.

Thunbo also disputed that the waiting times were as long as

Lego cutting 380 positions in Billund Christian Wenande Despite outsourcing the jobs abroad, Lego leaders believe they will retain and possibly even increase the number of jobs in Billund through investments

W

ithin two and a half years, Lego will close the part of their Billund factory in which they decorate and package Lego bricks, leaving hundreds of employees without a job.

Lego expects to make a total of 380 positions redundant by the summer of 2015, including 75 in 2013 and a further 200 positions in 2014. The jobs will be outsourced to factories in eastern Europe and Mexico, although some employees will be trained to assume other positions within the company.

“Some employees will leave us through a natural departure,

while others can perhaps develop new competencies and find work in other areas of the Lego group,” Jørgen Vig Knudstorp, the chief executive of Lego, said in a press release. “But, unfortunately, we can’t avoid laying off some employees.”

The decision to shut down part of the production in Billund is part of Lego’s long-term strategy to have the packaging plants closer to their core markets in order to reduce delivery times.

“In the future, we will concentrate our production and packaging efforts in Lego factories in the Czech Republic, Hungary and in Monterrey, Mexico, where we pack and decorate most of the products we sell today,” Carsten Rasmussen, senior vice president, said in the press release.

Rasmussen, who is responsible for Lego’s packaging and production in Europe, said that 90 percent of all Lego bricks

made or decorated in Billund are shipped to other Lego factories to be packaged in boxes.

“That’s why we need to have production closer to our big packaging plants. And when we close down production in Denmark, it doesn’t make sense to invest any further in the packaging plant in Billund, which will also be closed,” Rasmussen said.

According to its leadership, Lego still sees Billund as a central hub when it comes to their moulding technology. The company is planning to invest hundreds of millions of kroner in its factory in Billund in future years.

Because of this, Lego believes that the number of employees in Billund will remain the same or even rise in the future, despite the closure of the packaging plant and production line.

Lego, which was founded in 1932, is the world’s third largest producer of toys and employs about 10,000 people worldwide.

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It was simply packed with people and there were no places to sit down

Kiim had suggested. He said that waiting times were no longer than 40 minutes and there were a maximum of 65 customers in the branch at any one time.

Danske Bank has come under increasing criticism since it ended face-to-face banking transactions at 131 of its

15

branches on January 9, leaving just 55 branches left that offer the traditional form of banking.

The last 55 include just three banks in the downtown Copenhagen area, two in Odense and two in Aarhus.

Danske Bank’s move to remove face-to-face transactions from most of its branches has attracted criticism from elderly advocates Ældresagen and the dementia association Alzheimerforeningen. The organisations say that its members will experience greater difficulty completing banking transactions because of the change.

“The banks have a societal responsibility to treat the elderly properly and maintain a proper service level, also for those who are unable to use cash machines,” Michael Teit Nielsen, the development director at Ældresagen, told Politiken newspaper. “We know there are 360,000 elderly people who have never used the internet, and a large portion of them are Danske Bank customers. And even for those who can, it’s an unrealistic step from sending an email to accessing NemId.” The latest trouble for Danske Bank comes in the wake of its failed ‘New Standards’ promotional campaign and recent decision to increase the fees for holding an account at the bank.

BRITISH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE IN DENMARK

It’s about daring...

Stine Bosse, has a Master of Law from the University of Copenhagen and before being appointed to Group CEO of TrygVesta A/S in 2001, she held various positions in Tryg which provided her with a unique, thorough and hands-on understanding of the day-to-day operations.

She is widely known in the public for her direct and no-nonsense communication and is enthusiastically engaged in the societal debate for a better and safer world. She is a role model for many aspiring young people as the highest ranking female CEO in Denmark and was appointed the 22nd most influential business woman in the world in 2009 and 2010 by the Financial Times.

Stine Bosse serves as chairman of Flügger Denmark, The Royal Danish Theatre, CONCITO, Børnefonden, and Copenhagen Art Festival. She is Danish member of ChildFund Alliance, and sits on the board of among others Nordea Bank A/S, TDC, Allianz and Aker ASA. Additionally, Stine Bosse is the former chairman of the supervisory board of the Danish Insurance Association (Forsikring & Pension), and former board member of Grundfos and Amlin plc.

In the Spring 2010, Stine Bosse was appointed Advocate for the Millenium Development Goals by the UN Secretary General, Ban Kimoon, to fight world hunger and poverty.

Stine will talk about the essence of her book “Det handler om at turde”.

Programme: • 11.45: Registration and welcome drinks • 12.00: Welcome and introduction by Mariano A. Davies, President, BCCD • 12.10: Guest speaker - Stine Bosse • 12.40: Questions and discussion • 12.55: Announcements by Penny Schmith, Executive Director, BCCD • 13.00: Buffet lunch and networking

Date: Friday, 22 March 2013 Venue: Conference Suite on 1st floor Radisson Blu Royal Hotel Hammerichsgade 1 Copenhagen K

Non-members are very welcome. Please contact BCCD or go to www.bccd.dk for further information.

Price in kroner for one unit of foreign currency

If you would like to attend then please send us an email (event@bccd.dk) or call +45 31 18 75 58

Date: 6 February 2013

• official media partner Denmark’s only English-language newspaper

THE COPENHAGEN POST SPOUSE EMPLOYMENT PAGE SPOUSE: Nitisha Sinha FROM: India SEEKING WORK IN: Copenhagen QUALIFICATION: Masters in Geography and B.Ed EXPERIENCE: 4 years 3 months in teaching geography in schools for the middle to senior level.

I was also a foreign expat teacher and General Education Officer at Ministry Of Education,of Singapore in Singapore.

LOOKING FOR: Full time / Part time jobs in International School/Colleges/Universities to teach Geography.

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CONTACT: nitz84@gmail.com, Tel: +45 71496579 SPOUSE: Jawon Yun-Werner FROM: South Korea SEEKING WORK IN: Healthcare, Hospitals, Elderly/Child Care (in Greater Copenhagen Area).

QUALIFICATION: B.A. in Nursing, Masters in Public Health. I am AUTHORIZED to work as a Nurse in Denmark. (Have Danish CPR and work permit).

EXPERIENCE: 1O years of experience as a nurse and midwife from the prominent hospitals.

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IT EXPERIENCE: MS Office, SASS Statistical Software CONTACT: cuteago@yahoo.com, Tel: +45 30 95 20 53 SPOUSE: Ylenia Fiorini FROM: Italy SEEKING WORK IN: Copenhagen QUALIFICATION: Post Graduate Master’s Degree in Peace Studies, Development Cooperation, International Mediation and Conflict resolution EXPERIENCE: I have ten years experience as social worker in Italy,and experience in various fields, in the social and third sector and I feel that my educational background combined with my campaign assistant practice in the Ngo Burma Campaign, in Barcelona, has been an excellent preparation. In the same way also my job experiences in the social field made me open to different situations and to see them as a source of knowledge.

LOOKING FOR: Entry Level jobs in the third sector field, in international organization or NGO’s LANGUAGE SKILLS: Italian Mother tongue, fluent in Spanish, English, French, Swedish (basic) IT EXPERIENCE: Ms Office (Mac,Windows) CONTACT: yleniafiorini@yahoo.it SPOUSE: Erik Metzger FROM: San Francisco, CA USA SEEKING WORK IN: Drug & Alcohol Counselling QUALIFICATION: Masters degree in addiction counselling from Hazelden Graduate School of Addiction Studies; Currently preparing for the IC&RC counselling exam.

EXPERIENCE: Drug & Alcohol Counsellor; Masters in Addiction Counselling from Hazelden Graduate School in Minnesota, USA, August 2012. Ten years of active work in various 12-step programs. I can meet with you and/or your family to develop a custom recovery plan; all ages welcome. Registered Yoga Teacher through: www.yogaalliance.org since July, 2010. I can supply yoga mats and supports; my apartment or yours! Teacher of business English with training from Berlitz, Virksomhedsskolen and Denmark’s Library School (Cand.scient.bibl., 2007). *All diploma’s and certifications available upon request LOOKING FOR: Part/Full/Freelance/Volunteer work at treatment center and/or outpatient clinic.

LANGUAGE SKILLS: English: Native; Danish: Fluent verbal skills and intermediate reading and writing.

IT EXPERIENCE: PC and Mac – trained in many software packages and databases.

CONTACT: erikmetz@gmail.com

PARTNERS:

SPOUSE: Heike Mehlhase FROM: Berlin, Tyskland SEEKING WORK IN: A job opportunity in Copenhagen (administrative position, research assistant or psychosocial care).

QUALIFICATION: MPH, Master degree in Psychology, Lerntherapeutin.

EXPERIENCE: Five years experience in psychological research and child psychology.

LOOKING FOR: A position to expand my experience where I can use my excellent organisational, social and communication skills.

LANGUAGE SKILLS: German (mother tongue), English (fluent), Danish (Module 2).

IT EXPERIENCE: I am proficient in software such as word processing, spreadsheet, presentation software and basic graphic editing programs (Microsoft Office, Open Office) plus statistical software (SPSS).

CONTACT: heike@mehlhase.info SPOUSE: Debjani Nandy Biswas FROM: India SEEKING WORK IN: Would like to join in kindergarten, School teacher in English, official work in English.

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EXPERIENCE: Temporary school teacher in Bongaon, India and involved in social work (handicapped society).

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CONTACT: debjaninb@gmail.com, Tel: +45 50219942.

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EXPERIENCE: 4 years in Clinical Research (Pharmacovigilance/Safety and Medical Coding) in a leading CRO (Quintiles) and 6 months experience as a lecturer for bachelor degree students in Pharmacy College.

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LANGUAGE SKILLS: English (fluent written and spoken), enrolled for Danish language classes, Indian Languages (Hindi, Bengali, Kannada).

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EXPERIENCE: 6+ years of professional experience in Training, Customer Service, Promotions, Brand Marketing, Content Analysis and Team Management. Strong experience in planning and executing initiatives. Extensive training experience and influencing skills that will assist me in building a high potential, motivated and an effective team. Hands-on training in soft skills like crucial conversations and people management Branch Manager & Head of Training for Cosmo Aviation Training School in New Delhi, India. Proficient in analysing market trends to provide critical inputs for decision making and formulating training strategies.

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Denmark’s only English-language newspaper

Denmark’s only English-language newspaper | cphpost.dk

Dane unable to obtain family reunification for his Thai girlfriend says residency rules are a Catch-22

6

Exploiting ‘fat tax’ Supermarkets are scamming their customers under the guise of the new national ‘fat tax’

NEWS | 3

SPORT

Get in or get out Is now the time to join the euro, or to run like hell?

4

National coach Morten Olsen’s new contract will keep him in the job until after the 2014 World Cup.

14

A new budget to ‘kickstart’ the economy JENNIFER BULEY

Warrior Jesus How Christianity borrowed from Norse mythology and branded Jesus as a tough guy in order to woo the pagan Vikings

HISTORY | 19

9 771398 100009

Price: 25 DKK

SRSF’s first budget will spend 17.5 billion kroner on infrastructure and abolish previous taxes and restrictions

C

AN YOU HAVE your cake and eat it too? Conventional wisdom says no, but with their first budget plan since the shift of power, the new Socialdemokraterne-RadikaleSocialistisk Folkeparti (SRSF) coalition appear to be giving it a shot.

Many of the elements of the new budget – which is expected to be released in its entirety on Thursday – will increase state spending at a time when the budget deficit has increased. But where the money would come from remained a mystery.

A number of the new budget items reinstate spending cuts made by the pre-

vious Venstre-Konservative (VK) govern- the number of students. Moreover, stument. Here are a few of the major points: dents will no longer pay administrative Families: VK limited the state’s fees, and prospective Master’s students monthly child support handouts (bør- will have prerequisite course tuitions necheck) to 35,000 kroner per fam- paid. The government will also fund ily. That limit has now been abolished, 1,500 more state-supported internship meaning that many families will get positions.

Infrastructure and job creation: larger child benefits. The government will also pay for fertility treatments and Some 17.5 billion kroner will be invested over two years in infrastructure voluntary sterilisations.

Welfare: VK and Dansk Folkeparti projects, such as a new rail line between (DF) introduced specialised welfare pro- Copenhagen and Ringsted, a project to grammes that reduced the cash benefits widen the Holbæk motorway, erosion for new immigrants. Those programmes protection efforts along Jutland’s west have now been eliminated and going coast, and renovations to public housforward all residents in need of state ing. Prime minister Helle Thorningsupport will receive the same welfare Schmidt has said that these ‘kickstart’ projects will create 20,000 new jobs benefits.

Higher education and research: from 2012-2013. The Danish ConstrucUniversities will get an extra one billion tion Association predicts 10,000.

Tax break:meeting The unpopular ‘mulkroner over two years to cover costs as- a personal Organise sociated with a predicted increase in timedia tax’ introduced by VK will be

Cheering a Muslim as we do a Murderer!

FULL TIME MBA and sit in on a class.

abolished, saving some 525,000 Danes with business laptops and mobile phones 3,000 kroner per year.

Not everyone, however, can look forward to a cash infusion. Smokers and junk food lovers will be taxed higher on their vices, while international corporations will also see higher tax bills. SRSF plans to raise revenue by closing a number of tax loopholes going back nearly 20 years that allowed international corporations in Denmark to escape paying corporate taxes (see more on page 15).

All told, the spending increases in the new budget are not as big as the minister of the economy and interior, Margrethe Vestager (R), would like. She noted that VK under-reported the deficit for 2012, making it imprudent to spend more. But Denmark will still meet the EU’s financial responsibility benchmarks, despite the larger deficit, she added.

The one-year general management full-time MBA at CBS

focuses onTIME leadership,MBA entrepreneurship, and real-world experience.MEETING FULL - INFORMATION Organise a personal meeting hear how the MBA can giveprogram Join Scandinavia’s mostand internationally diverse your career a new dimension.

Thursday 17th November 17:30-19:00 E-mail lm.mba@cbs.dk or call 3815 6022

The one-year general management full-time MBA at CBS focuses on to organise a personal meeting.

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E-mail lm.mba@cbs.dk or call 3815 6022 to sign up for the meeting.

You will primarily assist the news team by writing articles, covering events, helping to maintain our website and performing general newsroom tasks.

HAIFA

Denmark’s only English-language newspaper | cphpost.dk

Dane unable to obtain family reunification for his Thai girlfriend says residency rules are a Catch-22

6

NEWS | 3

SPORT

Get in or get out 4

14

HISTORY | 19

9 771398 100009

Price: 25 DKK

SRSF’s first budget will spend 17.5 billion kroner on infrastructure and abolish previous taxes and restrictions

C

AN YOU HAVE your cake and eat it too? Conventional wisdom says no, but with their first budget plan since the shift of power, the new Socialdemokraterne-RadikaleSocialistisk Folkeparti (SRSF) coalition appear to be giving it a shot.

Many of the elements of the new budget – which is expected to be released in its entirety on Thursday – will increase state spending at a time when the budget deficit has increased. But where the money would come from remained a mystery.

A number of the new budget items reinstate spending cuts made by the pre-

vious Venstre-Konservative (VK) govern- the number of students. Moreover, stument. Here are a few of the major points: dents will no longer pay administrative Families: VK limited the state’s fees, and prospective Master’s students monthly child support handouts (bør- will have prerequisite course tuitions necheck) to 35,000 kroner per fam- paid. The government will also fund ily. That limit has now been abolished, 1,500 more state-supported internship meaning that many families will get positions.

Infrastructure and job creation: larger child benefits. The government will also pay for fertility treatments and Some 17.5 billion kroner will be invested over two years in infrastructure voluntary sterilisations.

Welfare: VK and Dansk Folkeparti projects, such as a new rail line between (DF) introduced specialised welfare pro- Copenhagen and Ringsted, a project to grammes that reduced the cash benefits widen the Holbæk motorway, erosion for new immigrants. Those programmes protection efforts along Jutland’s west have now been eliminated and going coast, and renovations to public housforward all residents in need of state ing. Prime minister Helle Thorningsupport will receive the same welfare Schmidt has said that these ‘kickstart’ projects will create 20,000 new jobs benefits.

Higher education and research: from 2012-2013. The Danish ConstrucUniversities will get an extra one billion tion Association predicts 10,000.

Tax break:meeting The unpopular ‘mulkroner over two years to cover costs as- a personal Organise sociated with a predicted increase in timedia tax’ introduced by VK will be

Cheering a Muslim as we do a Murderer!

FULL TIME MBA and sit in on a class.

abolished, saving some 525,000 Danes with business laptops and mobile phones 3,000 kroner per year.

Not everyone, however, can look forward to a cash infusion. Smokers and junk food lovers will be taxed higher on their vices, while international corporations will also see higher tax bills. SRSF plans to raise revenue by closing a number of tax loopholes going back nearly 20 years that allowed international corporations in Denmark to escape paying corporate taxes (see more on page 15).

All told, the spending increases in the new budget are not as big as the minister of the economy and interior, Margrethe Vestager (R), would like. She noted that VK under-reported the deficit for 2012, making it imprudent to spend more. But Denmark will still meet the EU’s financial responsibility benchmarks, despite the larger deficit, she added.

The one-year general management full-time MBA at CBS

focuses onTIME leadership,MBA entrepreneurship, and real-world experience.MEETING FULL - INFORMATION Organise a personal meeting hear how the MBA can giveprogram Join Scandinavia’s mostand internationally diverse your career a new dimension.

Thursday 17th November 17:30-19:00 E-mail lm.mba@cbs.dk or call 3815 6022

The one-year general management full-time MBA at CBS focuses on to organise a personal meeting.

Leadership, Entrepreneurship, and Practical Business Skills.

E-mail lm.mba@cbs.dk or call 3815 6022 to sign up for the meeting.

Copenhagen Business School

Copenhagen Business School Porcelænshaven 22, 2000 Frederiksberg Porcelænshaven 22, 2000 Frederiksberg www.cbs.dk/ftmba www.cbs.dk/ftmba

We are looking for interns who can start immediately, as well as for the summer and for the fall semester.

THE CHILDREN’S MOVIE FEST IS HERE page

KIDS ON FILM YOU BETTER BELIEVE IT BUSTER! THE CHILDREN’S MOVIE FEST IS HERE

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page

BLUES w w w. c o p e n h a g e n b l u e s f e s t i v a l . d k

COPENHAGEN

Free access to 65 museums and attractions in the entire metropolitan area

SEPT. 28 - OCT. 2 · 2011

We publish a weekly print newspaper (circulation 15,000), operate the website cphpost.dk and have a number of new on-line products in development. Our offices are located in Copenhagen’s Kødbyen district and we offer an international work environment and a social atmosphere.

We seek an experienced B2B and media salesperson who is fluent in English, Danish would be an advantage. The ideal candidate will be able to work independently, be goal-oriented and capable of seeing opportunities. Your role will be to service existing customers and develop new relations, while at the same time help us open new markets.

InOut The CPH Post Entertainment Guide | 16 - 22 Sep

KIDS ON FILM YOU BETTER BELIEVE IT BUSTER!

Are you interested in becoming part of one Denmark’s most exciting media workplaces? The Copenhagen Post is on the move, and we’re looking to break into new advertising markets. As maternity cover for one of our current employees, you could become a part of that effort.

A new budget to ‘kickstart’ the economy

Page 10

A knowledge of Danish is useful, but not required. Prior experience in journalism would be beneficial, but not expected - enthusiasm and interest in the news are.

WHY: The Copenhagen Post wishes to help spouses looking for jobs in Denmark. We have on our own initiative started a weekly spouse job page in The Copenhagen Post, with the aim to show that there are already within Denmark many highly educated international candidates looking for jobs.

If you are a spouse to an international employee in Denmark looking for new career opportunities, you are welcome to send a profile to The Copenhagen Post at aviaja@cphpost.dk and we will post your profile on the spouse job page when possible. Remember to get it removed in case of new job.

This is a full-time, temporary position starting as soon as possible.

Is now the time to join the euro, or to run like hell?

National coach Morten Olsen’s new contract will keep him in the job until after the 2014 World Cup.

How Christianity borrowed from Norse mythology and branded Jesus as a tough guy in order to woo the pagan Vikings

The internship is an ideal opportunity for non-native speakers to gain working experience writing in English.

Denmark’s only English-language newspaper

Exploiting ‘fat tax’ Supermarkets are scamming their customers under the guise of the new national ‘fat tax’

JENNIFER BULEY

The CPH Post Entertainment Guide | 16 - 22 Sep

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4 - 10 November 2011 | Vol 14 Issue 44

Warrior Jesus

Copenhagen Business School

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Copenhagen Business School Porcelænshaven 22, 2000 Frederiksberg Porcelænshaven 22, 2000 Frederiksberg www.cbs.dk/ftmba www.cbs.dk/ftmba

Page 10

Copenhagen Renaissance Music Festival Special advertising section INSIDE!

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4 - 10 November 2011 | Vol 14 Issue 44

MUSIC FESTIVAL

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THEATRE OF VOICES

CHRISTIAN IV

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The Copenhagen Post is looking for energetic interns to lend a hand around the newsroom on a part or full-time basis.

7 - 20 NOVEMBER 2011

FROM SCHÜTZ TO GEIST

Early German Baroque Music 1600-1700 In commemoration of Christian Geist (c.1650-1711)

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John Primer w. Nisse Thorbjorn Band [US/DK] Joe Louis Walker [US] | Holmes Brothers [US] Mud Morganfield w. Peter Nande Band [US/DK] Louisiana Red & Paul Lamb [US/UK] | Janice Harrington w. Kenn Lending Blues Band [US/DK] Keith Dunn Band [US/NL] | Johnny Max Band [CA] Delta Blues Band | The Healers | Shades of Blue Thorbjorn Risager | Troels Jensen | Alain Apaloo H.P. Lange | Mike Andersen & Jens Kristian Dam Tutweiler | Fried Okra Band | The Blues Overdrive Bluesoul | Grahn & Malm | Ole Frimer | Paul Banks Jacob Fischer Trio | Svante Sjöblom | Jes Holtsoe

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See full programme: w w w.copenhagenbluesfestival.dk & w w w.kultunaut.dk

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18

Culture

The Copenhagen Post cphpost.dk

8 - 14 February 2013

wouldn’t be the only ones able to produce it.

“Only a few orchestras worldwide have a recognisable sound, cultivated over half a century or more, and they don’t maintain it just by hiring their own citizens,” Morrison said. “They will hire anyone who has learnt to recreate that style authentically over a broad repertoire and to the highest possible standard.”

When orchestra positions open up, Morrison said, nationality has nothing to do with who is hired. The deciding factor, he suggested, comes down to their ability to perform.

“Anyone from the EU is allowed to audition for orchestral jobs in Denmark, and when it comes to the crunch, those with better control of their nerves on the day will win,” he said.

“Audition processes in Denmark are set up so as to be equally fair to all candidates, and if a person is not good enough on the day, that decision is made by a majority vote by a large representative body of orchestral musicians from the orchestra in question.”

The standards are universally high – it is just a question of finding a suitably qualified candidate.

“It is not infrequent that an audition for a vacant position results in no successful candi-

Jessica Hanley Politicians complain there are too many international musicians in Danish orchestras, but according to one of them, it all comes down to talent

T

he high percentage of foreign musicians in Danish orchestras merely indicates that internationals may be outperforming their Danish counterparts in auditions, according to Peter Morrison, a cellist for the DR Symphony Orchestra.

Rejecting recent claims from politicians, who told DR that too many foreigners have infiltrated Danish music, Morrison suggests that foreign musicians are simply filling the needs of the country’s orchestras just as well, or better than, their Danish counterparts.

“Danes very often win jobs in Danish orchestras, and when they don’t, it simply means that someone else – that is, a foreigner – was better at the audition,” Morrison told The Copenhagen Post.

As an Australian who has lived and played in Denmark for ten years, Morrison doubted the country’s orchestras have a distinct identity or sound that politicians could define – and if they did, Danish musicians

DR/ Agnete Schlichtkrull

Foreign or Danish, it’s all about making the grade

Fifty years ago, politicians were decrying the devil’s music so they should know what they’re talking about

date from a large pool of Danish and EU candidates, with the position remaining vacant until another audition can be arranged at a later date generally

Talent is not limited to geographical boundary many months down the track.”

According to DR’s report,

Nik and Jay are so street, but is their career heading down a cul-de-sac?

they might have some way to go. The first double-take comes in the first verse. “Fold out your ears” suggests more of a cartoon influence than a Compton one.

And it gets worse. Their girls are “sweet like French toast”, they’re “fresh like toothpaste” and it “feels like 100 on the freeway”. Is that imperial or metric?

And then they commit two cardinal sins: never remind America you’re a foreigner (unless you’re Sting in New York): “All the chicks be asking: ‘Where you from?’– because I spit with

an accent”. And never ever mention tennis in rap: “I’m like John McEnroe in his heyday.”

And the video isn’t much better. It’s a throwback to the bird-flipping, joint-smoking, ass-shaking, graffiti-spraying, police-hating, pistol-pumping gestures of the generic German MTV ghetto music videos that were all the rave in the ‘90s.

“This is once in a lifetime,” they sing in the first verse. It might turn out to be the only savvy line in the whole song.

(BH/BSM)

Hector Martin He is Greenland’s political leader. He recently called for a general election as a referendum over the country’s plans to develop its mining industry.

Beyoncé and the Mac − no longer just rumours

Is he going to be re-elected?

Polling a population of 56,000 who live in a country half the size of Europe, without roads connecting its major settlements, is difficult. However, according to a Facebook poll taken by the newspaper Sermitsiaq, it’s neck-and-neck between his socialist coalition and the socialdemocratic coalition that lost its 30-year stranglehold on power in the 2009 election.

tures collaborations with big names in R&B like Justin Timberlake, Pharell, Timbaland and Azealia Banks.

With an on-fire performance at Sunday night’s Super Bowl Halftime Show, Beyoncé (tickets go on sale on February 11) has more than overcome rumours of any vocal shortcomings spurred

Would there be a life for him after politics?

Almost certainly. Kleist, 54, has a university degree as a social worker, and he headed Greenland’s school of journalism. He was also the head of Greenland’s foreign office before being elected to the Danish parliament in 2001. Also,

L

et’s hope she’ll be singing live this time.

Pop superstar Beyoncé has confirmed she will be gracing Forum on May 27. She’ll be playing brand new material from her yet-to-be-released fifth album as part of her upcoming Mrs Carter World Tour.

The upcoming album fea-

by her lip-syncing at President Obama’s second inauguration last month.

Talking of rumours, Fleetwood Mac will get your nostalgia going. The British-American group will be playing Boxen in Herning later this year on October 18. The ticket sale details are currently unconfirmed. (AS)

politicians’ suggestions that the statistics indicate a problem with Danish music education.

“Talent is not limited to geographical boundary,” he said. “As for education, we mustn’t forget that some of these foreigners actually studied with Danish teachers at Danish music conservatories − the very same places the politicians think are not doing a good enough job.”

Politicians should see the presence of foreign musicians as an opportunity, Morrison said

– not as a cause for alarm.

“It’s no different to a sporting event like the Olympics, and it’s the same rules for most orchestras around the world,” he suggested. “It’s called competition, and it is healthy for the long-term artistic development of a nation’s cultural scene when ideas and sounds from around the world meet.”

“Would politicians or journalists here complain if a Dane won an orchestra job over someone else in another country?” he asked. “I sincerely doubt it.”

with the connections he’s made in recent years, he may just be the Kingdom of Denmark’s best-connected person. After first playing host to world leaders as they beat a path to his country to watch climate change in action, he’s spent the past few years promoting the development of the country’s oil and mineral industry, meeting with world leaders and industry executives. Failing that, he could also go back to being a singer. Before his political career took off, he tried his luck at being a musician and producer. He released a couple of albums, but Greenland’s Leonard Cohen, as he was nicknamed due to his bassy voice, never really made it big.

Is he a separatist?

Though not one of the founding fathers of the post-colonial Greenland, he is described as a nationalist, and he headed the country when it was granted increased autonomy in 2009. He has a pragmatic approach to the Greenlandic membership of the Kingdom of Denmark. He told The Independent once: “We claim our right to economic development. And we claim our right to be independent from former colonial powers.” But apparently, there’s a difference between having the right to do so, and actually wanting to do so. Because while he’s also ruffled some feathers in Copenhagen by saying he supports calls to write a Greenlandic constitution, he’s also underscored that it isn’t necessarily the same as declaring independence. In Kleist’s mind, independence and income are linked. Greenland currently gets most of its money from prawn exports and Copenhagen’s 3 billion kroner annual block grant. Without the tax revenue mining activity would bring, he knows Greenland would have no realistic way of supporting itself. If Greenland can develop a mining industry, he has predicted Greenland will be independent by the middle of the century.

Who is … Kuupik Kleist?

Scanpix

M

ost domestic pop acts can’t wait to leave and explore new markets. After all, singing in English expands your potential audience 200-fold. But in the case of this country’s favourite rap duo, or at least the act the Danes love to hate, it has taken over ten years.

Nik & Jay, now in their 30s, in mid-January released ‘Live 4 Today’, their first ever single in English. The decision follows their decision to sign with music giant Sony Records in Germany – a move that has already seen them open for Jennifer Lopez.

The big time beckons; the question is are they ready?

Certainly, they’ve been preparing for this for several years. It is well known the pair are among a number of Danish celebrities who have taken American English classes specifically to succeed Stateside.

Mads Mikkelsen is another, and it worked for him.

But their new song suggests

Dan Chavkin

Nik & Jay make first foray into English

at least a third of all musicians in the country’s five regional symphonies are foreigners – varying from 33 to 45 percent.

“This is a wake-up call that shows us that the quality of music education in Denmark is in need of an examination,” Ole Sohn, the culture spokesman for Socialistisk Folkeparti, told DR. “I encourage the Culture Ministry and the educational institutions to sit down and look at how we can make education better.”

However, Morrison rejected

Any connection to Denmark?

The son of a deaf Greenlandic woman and a Danish man who abandoned him shortly after he was born, he was raised by an aunt and uncle in a Greenlandic mining town that was abandoned when the mine closed.

He attended school in Denmark from the age of 17 and returned after finishing university. As a politician, he’s been a staunch proponent of Greenland’s right to self-determination, particularly when it comes to investment in its vast mineral and oil resources. Most recently, he told Danes they were welcome to invest in Greenland’s mining industry, but that they shouldn’t expect to be treated differently to any other interested party.

If not?

He will be the lead singer in a 56,000-strong blues band.

8 - 14 February 2013

Denmark through the looking glass The Copenhagen Post cphpost.dk

19 All photos www.skjoldungelandet.dk

Breathtaking beauty just a short distance from Copenhagen for any Bond villains out there looking for a new lair

It must have been comforting to know that after all the raping and pillaging they had this to return to

A veritable region of otherworldly treasure, outdoor leisure and ornithological pleasure Jane Graham

of Chief Skjold, also known as the Scyldings, who are believed to have been a ruling famThe country’s newest national ily around the time of Harald park, Skjoldungelandet, is an Bluetooth, just prior to Denarchaeological hotspot that has mark’s conversion to Christibeen dubbed ‘the cradle anity. Some have even posited of Denmark’ that the Scyldings were the first kings of Denmark. n 11 December 2012, According to legend, King Ida Auken, the envi- Skjold was the son of Odin, the ronment minister, an- supreme Viking god and ruler of nounced that eight Valhalla. While most historians years of effort campaigning had have dismissed his existence as a finally paid off for the councils myth, recent archaeological finds of Roskilde, Lejre and Fred- have added strength to those erikssund, as Skjoldungelandet who believe Skjold did actually had been ofexist – and that ficially granted he lived and state approval ruled in Gamto become mel Lejre, now Denmark’s next The region encircles nothing more national park. than a small, The region − Roskilde Fjord sprawling vilwhich encircles and encompasses lage some 16 Roskilde Fjord km west of and encom- ancient glacial Roskilde. passes ancient valleys, atmospheric Lejre, which glacial valleys, means ‘camp’ in a t m o s p h e r i c marshland and royal English, was marshland and certainly a more hunting forests royal hunting important place forests − was se2,000 years ago lected as much for its contribu- than it is now. From the ancient tion to national history as for its standing stones to significant arlandscape. Indeed, most of Den- tefacts from the Bronze and Iron mark’s significant archaeological Ages and Viking times, archaeofinds of the last 30 years have logical digs in the area have unbeen made in and around Lejre, earthed plenty of evidence of its a village of central importance to central role in Denmark’s past. the Skjoldungelandet area.

Starting around 30 years The name Skjoldungelan- ago, when archaeologists discovdet refers to the descendants ered the remains of several large

O

Viking halls believed by their size to have belonged to a powerful elite, excavations have also revealed a burial ground marked by stone ships and, most spectacular of all, a tiny silver figure of Odin seated on his throne.

The 2cm-high silver sculpture was discovered in 2009 inside the remains of a 50m-long Viking hall − the largest of its kind in Denmark. In incredible detail, the Viking god Odin is depicted sitting on his elaborate throne, Hildskjalf, which was said to give him magical powers that enabled him to see the entire world. On his shoulders are his two ravens, Hugin and Munin, who flew out every day into the world and returned home to tell him what they had seen – just in case the throne hadn’t filled in him on absolutely everything.

Strange as it may seem, this is one of the few Viking era representations of Odin as ruler so far found; most images of Odin as the supreme ruler of Valhalla come from later depictions, modern-day comics or romantic Golden Age paintings. Now on display at Roskilde Museum, the recovery site of this figurine adds further weight to the theory that Lejre was a seat of ancient royalty, but it doesn’t stop there.

In September 2012, a treasure trove was found near the village of Mannerup, near Osted.

Named the ‘Mannerupskatten’, the haul consists of several kilos

of silver in the form of around 1,500 objects including rings, coins and bullion. The Iron Age treasure is now on display at Roskilde Museum and is believed to date back to between 500 and 400 BC. Other major historical finds in the national park region include the remains of five Viking ships found in Roskilde Fjord in the 1960s, which formed the basis of the now world-famous Roskilde Viking Ship Museum.

Eagles were important to Vikings and ancient settlers in Scandinavia, perhaps even revered; it is fitting, then, that the area around Roskilde Fjord is also a reserve for the incredibly rare white-tailed sea eagles, who nest on the remote Bognæs peninsula that stretches in a northeastern direction away from Sankt Hans Hospital.

A visit to Land of Legends Lejre, an open air museum in the form of an iron-age settlement, should invigorate even the most cynical visitor with an elixir of the area’s special magic. On an autumn day, when the early morning mist still hangs eerily a few feet from the ground long after breakfast time, you could quite imagine Beowolf charging down from the other side of the hill.

Skjoldungelandet joins Denmark’s three other national parks: Thy, Mols Bjerge and Wadden Sea. It is the first national park in Zealand.

Every May, Ledreborg Castle’s Livsstilsmesse event offers a glorious retreat awash with country bumpkin pursuits

Moonet and Jackson Bullock were firm favourites at this Lejre art exhibition

The 2cm sculpture of Odin found in 2009, although many historians remain unconvinced that it is the ruler, arguing that it is more likely to be a female goddess

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