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CPHPOST.DK 12 - 25 January 2018
NEWS Two years for jetski rider who killed two US students
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NEWS
Safe to come out Copenhagen gang war officially over after truce
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SHOOT TO KILL Academic decries situation facing foreign peers
NEWS Danish journalists stabbed in terror attack in Gabon
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STEPHEN GADD
BUSINESS
Work, rest, play, spend Consumer optimism rising heading into the new year
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University of Copenhagen administrative director baffled by minister’s lofty Nobel Prize ambitions in light of the current set-up
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AR MORE needs to be done to address the bureaucratic nightmare faced by foreign academics in order for Denmark to have any chance of becoming a leading Nobel Prize contender, claims the administrative director of University of Copenhagen. The minister for research and education, Søren Pind, last month outlined his lofty ambition “to establish a strong enough scientific environment to compete in the race for Nobel Prizes”, but Jesper Olesen was quick to pour scorn on his plans.
Byzantine system “THE PROBLEM is that the system is extremely Byzantine. It’s simply unnecessarily complicated to obtain a work and residence permit. You have to send a lot of paperwork in and, if you make a mistake, you have to start all over again,” Olesen told Politiken. “When you come to Denmark, you have to produce vast amounts of documentation to show you have a job or are cohabiting. That takes an inordinately long time. The process is so comprehensive that it makes it difficult even for highly-educated academics.” In some cases foreigners have to wait months to get a Danish CPR number, getting trapped in what has been described as a ‘Kafkaesque system’.
Digital solution? PIND CONCEDES the problem must be solved. “I’ve asked my civil servants to be especially aware of the things that act as barriers to attracting clever researchers,” he told DR. A new digital pilot scheme is already underway to ensure applicants don’t have to turn up in person when applying for a CPR number. Other worries BUT OLESEN needs more convincing. “There are researchers who have been fined for making presentations in Parliament and for acting as external examiners for other universities,” he said. “We also have people struggling to get residence permits for their children, even though they have European passports.”
PM ditches tax bid DANISH PM Lars Løkke Rasmussen has given up on tax concessions for society’s highest earners in the 2018 budget – a measure Dansk Folkeparti was only prepared to back in return for draconian new rules on immigration. Low-paid workers look set to benefit from tax cuts, though, as does the health sector, the elderly and the police.
Murder series criticised A NEW E-BOOK series documenting the Kim Wall murder case has been pulled by Saxo. com after the first installment drew intense criticism for being inconsiderate to her family. The series is the work of Thomas Djursing, a journalist with extensive prior contact with Peter Madsen, the submariner accused of murdering Wall in August.
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NEWS
THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK
ONLINE THIS WEEK THE MEDIA couldn’t get enough of Gribskolen’s decision to make attendance at its traditional Christmas service a voluntary affair. It isn’t just any school, as PM Lars Løkke Rasmussen is a former pupil, opening the floodgates for MPs to decry multiculturalism, paying scant attention to how religion is not a compulsory part of the national curriculum.
Double standards? DANSK Folkeparti’s outgoing deputy mayor, Carl Christian Ebbesen, has been criticised for starting a new job in January despite taking 500,000 kroner in severance pay that is supposed to ensure mayors don’t job search while serving the public. DF lambasted the Venstre defence minister, Carl Holst, for doing a similar thing two years ago. Last month Pia Allerslev (V) had defended the pay.
Attempted terror charges
Loyal To Familia and Brothas agree to stay out of each other’s territory CHRISTIAN WENANDE
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OYAL TO Familia and Brothas, whose gang war led to almost 40 shootings and three deaths last year, have declared a permanent truce in which they promise to stay out of each other’s territory and refrain from shooting at one another. In November the gangs agreed to a temporary cease-fire after some of their parents got involved and persuaded them to agree terms.
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A NEWLY-ELECTED Radikale councillor in Frederiksberg honoured a pre-election pledge to jump into the Lakes on January 1. David Zepernick has vowed to work tirelessly in his pursuit of visionary plans for the Lakes, which might now include making them heated. Editorial offices: International House, Gyldenløvesgade 11, 1600 Copenhagen Denmark
Founded in 1998 by San Shepherd All rights reserved. Published by cphpost.dk ApS. Printed by Dansk Avistryk A/S
Promise is a p .. p .. promise
No more shootings ... for now
for a while now and we’ve finally managed it.”
And Copenhagen Western Police is taking similar action in Herlev, Ballerup, Rødovre and Gladsaxe. The zones gave the police the right to search the person and vehicle of anyone entering the zones, even if they were not suspected of any crime.
No more random searches MEANWHILE, Copenhagen Police has discontinued a stopand-search zone in Nørrebro and Nordvest, which was established to tackle the gang war.
Jetski killer gets two years 25-YEAR-OLD man has been sentenced to two years in prison for his role in the tragedy that killed two US students from DIS in Copenhagen Harbour last May when his jetski smashed into their rental boat. The court established he was driving hazardously. Held on remand since the tragedy, it is speculated he could be released in less than a year due to time served and a likely reduction. The prosecutor had demanded a four-year sentence and the maximum sentence was eight years.
Papirøen contract awarded
Exploding champers
Leave in peace “EVERYONE minds their own business and lets the others be in peace,” a source told DR following a meeting involving high-ranking members of the gangs in December. “It’s been close to being solved
Reckless Dane guilty of causing the deaths of two American students
ONLINE THIS WEEK JAPANESE architecture firm Kengo Kuma and Associates has won the tender to design a waterfront cultural centre for Copenhagen’s Papirøen (Paper Island). The proposal, which will include leisure and sport facilities, beat off competition from Danish firm BIG and could open in 2021.
GOBOAT/VIKTOR SYLVESTE
A 30-YEAR-OLD Syrian man has been charged with attempting to commit a terror attack in Copenhagen. It is believed he was planning in November 2016 to stab passers-by and detonate an explosive device. Police have reason to suspect the man, a former asylum-seeker in Sweden, had links to two young men imprisoned in July for planning an attack in Copenhagen.
Permanent truce ends gang war PIXABAY
PM’s school squabble
12 - 25 January 2018
A BRØNDBY man nearly died after severing an artery whilst trying to open a bottle of champagne on New Year’s Eve. He was holding the bottle between his legs when it exploded and drove a shard deep into his thigh.
Free pizza for Christmas OASEN Pizzeria in Hvidovre handed out free food for three hours on Christmas Eve as part of an initiative to feed the homeless and lonely. “We hope we can be a model for others,” owner Faruk Atay told TV2.
No more free poop bags COPENHAGEN Municipality has stopped making free poop bags available to dog owners. The initiative cost 500,000 kroner a year and the money is needed elsewhere.
Bakken to open off-season
Deadly calm waters tell a tragic story
Fleeing the scene SEVEN other defendants – six men and one woman – avoided prison and were given fines of between 3,700 and 11,700 kroner. All eight fled the scene after the accident, racing back to their
home suburb of Brøndby. Five other passengers were injured, including one who had her jaw broken. Stricter jetski protocol has been introduced in the wake of the accident. (CW)
BAKKEN will open during the autumn half-term holiday and in December this year – the first time it has opened off-season since its foundation in 1583. Normally its season lasts from late March to early September.
Expensive for expats COPENHAGEN is the 14th most expensive city for expats – a jump of nine places from last year on ECA International’s list.
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NEWS
12 - 25 January 2018
ONLINE THIS WEEK High EU approval rate
Danes stabbed in terror attack
PIXABAY
JKAN997
Gabon is known for being peaceful
Star ratings from the Danes
A DANISH man and woman attacked by a Niger national in the Gabonese capital of Libreville were reportedly mistaken for Americans because they were speaking English. The man was stabbed 20 times and nearly died. Their 53-year-old attacker later claimed the attack on the journalists was partly in retribution for Donald Trump’s intention to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
SOME 81 percent of Danes find the EU beneficial to the country – the sixth highest approval rating within the union. Ireland (90) had the highest approval rate and Italy (39) the lowest, while Sweden (62) and Finland (66) finished mid-table. The UK (55) rating was almost 7 percentage points more than the 48.11 percent who voted to remain in the EU in June 2016.
Taster Days January 16th & 18th, 2018
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Female majority in foreign office
Aid to Africa and Asia THE GOVERNMENT has established a 380 million kroner aid program for Niger. Additionally it has earmarked sums of 85, 35 and 55 million kroner to help refugees fleeing from Syria, Myanmar, and Burundi and Congo respectively. Some 650,000 Rohingya people have fled to Bangladesh, and 500,000 Africans have fled to Sudan, Tanzania and the Central African Republic.
THE UPPER tier of the Danish foreign office will for the first time consist of more women than men. Among them is Liselotte Kjærsgaard Plesner, Denmark’s first ever female ambassador to NATO – one of around 50 new appointments within the Danish foreign office and ministry over the new year.
Record year for bridge PIXABAY
Rotten time in Big Apple PEXELS
Popular since its 2000 opening
A city that doesn’t sleep like that
ANETTE Sørensen, the Danish mother arrested in 1997 for leaving her baby outside a New York restaurant, has told the New York Post an apology is overdue. Sørensen, who was strip-searched in custody, is trying to raise money online for an English translation of a novel she wrote based on her 1997 experience. A 20 million US dollar false-arrest lawsuit won her just $66,000 in 1999.
Taxi to Oslo and legs it A DANISH taxi driver who took a Norwegian man from Copenhagen to Oslo on New Year’s Day was forced to contact the police after the man went into his flat without paying his 12,500 kroner bill. The police found the man asleep and he settled up by credit card. Meanwhile, the tax driver’s car battery went flat and he was forced to call a rescue vehicle.
SOME 7,530,255 vehicles passed over Øresund Bridge in 2017 – a record year. Fredrik Jenfjord, the head of marketing for Øresundsbro Konsortiet, partly attributed the rise to the low value of the Swedish krona attracting more Danes to the country’s shops.
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More than passable THE DANISH passport remains one of the most attractive in the world, according to the 2018 Visa Restriction Index, published by Henley & Company. The passport grants visa-free access to 175 countries in the world, ranking it third on the global index just behind leader Germany (177) and Singapore (176).
A joint venture A DANISH driver was arrested and imprisoned in southern France before Christmas after the authorities found 1.3 tonnes of cannabis in his truck. The estimated value of the haul was 75 million kroner.
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THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK
12 - 25 January 2018
Experts question whether the added security of a military presence comes with an unseen price DEVIN MCMAHON
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OR THE first time since World War II, armed troops from the Danish Armed Forces have been deployed on the streets of Copenhagen. Since September 29, a total of 160 Forsvaret soldiers, bearing automatic weapons and special insignia, have been assisting police at potential terror targets in the city, as well at the border controls in the south of the country. These include Jewish institutions such as the Israeli Embassy in Hellerup and Great Synagogue on Krystalgade in central Copenhagen, the scene of the second fatal terror shooting in 2015. If people hadn’t noticed the synagogue before, they certainly do now. Two to three soldiers pace on opposite sides of the street, watching pedestrians as they pass. Cordoned off, it feels like cycling is prohibited, even though it isn’t stated. Copenhagen is starting to resemble a warzone.
aware of that. Once their presence becomes normalised, what’s next? How far are you willing to squeeze our human rights to gain some collective security and short-term gains?”
Not very Danish THE LONGER the soldiers remain, the more normalised it will feel living in a martial state and not having a right to privacy, warns Kjærgaard. “The moment you start reinterpreting the basic rules of a democracy because of an alleged threat of terrorism, you can use the alleged terrorism for a lot of ends,” he said. “In a democracy like Denmark, we are not used to [having armed soldiers in the streets]. It is not very Danish. We have this very sharp separation of external and internal laws and it’s absolutely a police prerogative and only a police prerogative under the police laws to maintain security and order in Danish civilian society – whereas now the military has to role to play.” Very different in nature IT IS EASY to forget, warns Kjærgaard, that the police and the military are very different. They have distinct roles and training, and conflating the two is not only dangerous but creates a “monopoly of violence”. Soldiers are trained to use deadly force as a first resort, while police officers exercise deadly force only as a last resort and shoot to stop, not to kill. Police officers operate among the population to protect security, peace and order internally in society, reasons Kjærgaard. They have been trained to solve problems using a legal system – one in which suspects are entitled to civil safeguards, legal procedures and no detention without proof or evidence. Soldiers, in contrast, are tasked to maintain external security and trained to identify people they encounter as belonging to one of two groups: the enemy and the non-enemy. Soldiers have the right to detain suspects without a charge – for however long they are deemed a threat – and can arrest with just suspicion from an intelligence agency. “Soldiers are not bad boys,” conceded Kjærgaard. “They can carry out their tasks with
Troops on the streets for the first time since World War II
restraint and order, but their deployment on Copenhagen’s streets is actively overriding a fundamental pillar of democracy.” Scarier, but is it safer? DEA WALLIN, a shop assistant working next to the synagogue, was unconvinced the soldiers’ presence will make a difference. “The thing about terrorism is if it happens, it happens – you can’t really do anything to protect us unless you have the police keeping an eye on a dude buying explosives online,” she said. “But if someone wants to make it happen, it happens.” The soldiers’ presence is having an effect on people’s peace of mind, she contends. “I think it is a pretty scary thing to see soldiers walking on the street carrying guns,” she said. “It looks really rough and dramatic and we’re not used to that type of stuff in Denmark. We’re such a small country, and in general the Danish people feel safe.” Megan Kenney, an American exchange student, concurs that their presence was at first “alarming”. “The sight of large guns is always unsettling to me and at first I was nervous to walk past them and was hyper-aware of my actions. It changed the atmosphere of the street,” she said. However, now she is used to them she does feel safer – and an added bonus has been a reduction in bike thefts.
Preventative, pointless? KJÆRGAARD, though, remains unconvinced their presence will prevent a terror attack. “I am not safer just because some places are safeguarded. I’m safe because [terrorism] is so random and indiscriminate. It’s important to safeguard the synagogue because it has immense communicative value for terrorists, but making the synagogue a safer place does not make me safer,” he said. “I am safer when police are using thorough, systematic intelligence with long-term effects to
establish who is who and why people are doing what they do – what are the triggers; what are the warning signs. I am not safer just because I see a few guns on the street.” Martin Rasmussen, a counterterrorism expert, would tend to agree. “Short term benefits: it takes away some pressure on the police,” he said. “Long-term: none. It might discourage potential attackers from attacking that specific target … but generally speaking, there is no effect.”
Ineligible for full honours FORSVARET
How far will we go? THE GOVERNMENT has justified the deployment as a move to relieve the state police, Rigspolitiet, from duties that employed 128 full-time officers, leading to huge amounts of overtime and a neglect of other crime – particularly once the gang war kicked off in earnest over the summer. And they are not alone. France, Belgium, Italy, Britain and Spain have all used troops at some point over the last decade. However, Major Steen Kjærgaard, an international security analyst at the Danish Institute for International Studies, questions whether the freedom the soldiers are paid to protect is actually being eroded by their presence on our streets. “It was a choice of need rather than a choice of want to redirect military capacities to help the surveillance of critical infrastructure in Copenhagen,” he told CPH POST. “However, it is a slippery slope. We have crossed a very big threshold and we have to be
NATIONAL MUSEUM OF DENMARK
Martial law on the streets – but are we safer?
When duty calls, every land should be equal, contend the soliders
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HEN DANISH soldiers die fighting abroad, their families are well looked after under the terms of a special compensation scheme. But the soldiers deployed within Denmark are not eligible for the package, even though police officers who die in service are. Some 300 of them have now signed a letter sent to Danish
Defence demanding better remuneration. The letter makes three demands: a higher salary; the special compensation package that will look after the financial needs of their families should they die; and the same kind of recognition should they die on Danish soil – for example, inclusion on the memorial plaque at Kastellet.
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12 - 25 January 2018
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NEWS
THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK
ONLINE THIS WEEK MEN ARE more likely to submit a fraudulent insurance claim than women, according to Forsikring & Pension, and especially those living in big cities. Every fourth swindler is a man living in Copenhagen, and the number of cases tends to rise in the lead-up to Christmas and summer. The industry association estimates that last year’s fraudulent claims were worth at least 530 million kroner.
DNA sweep proposed FYNS POLITI is hunting a serial stone dropper. The same DNA has been found on several stones flung from motorway overpasses, and police want to collect samples from all citizens living in Tarup in northwestern Odense – the area they believe their suspect lives. It is believed the serial stone dropper was responsible for the death of a German tourist in August 2016.
Exam drug use A SURVEY carried out by the IDA engineers society reveals that around 3 percent of its students have used drugs to get through their exams, with another 6 percent close to doing so. A Djøf study found that 7 percent of its members were users during exam periods. The most common drugs of choice are beta blockers and ADHD treatments ritalin and modafinil.
Drink more, drunk less SALES of alcohol-free beer rose by 19 percent to over 9 million cans and bottles in 2017, according to the brewery association Bryggeriforeningen – a trebling of consumption over the last three years. During that time, the number of products has risen from a handful to 14, and most now contain between 0.0 and 0.5 percent alcohol – fermentation that helps to improve the taste.
Cruise ship bonanza DANISH harbours are expected to welcome a record 1.1 million cruise ship guests in 2018, with 875,000 anticipated in Copenhagen. Aarhus, Skagen, Helsingør, Bornholm and Kalundborg are also expected to benefit.
Warier of hackers than refugees – apparently Cyberattacks are Denmark’s biggest threat, although you wouldn’t know that listening to the government BEN HAMILTON
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HE DANISH defence intelligence service, Forsvarets Efterretningstjeneste (FE), has once again identified what it considers to be the biggest risks facing Denmark. And unsurprisingly, asylumseekers were low down its list, although you wouldn’t know that judging by the government’s rhetoric over the Christmas break.
An economic burden CYBERATTACKS are the biggest threat facing the country, warns FE in a ‘closing the stable door after the horse has bolted’ kind of fashion. Russia and terror run the hackers a close second – particularly “a new generation of militant Islamists who can join transatlantic networks”. Government party Venstre would appear to be more wary of asylum-seekers, who its immigration spokesperson Marcus Knuth has described as “an economic burden for Denmark” and best off returning to their home country once it is deemed safe. Knuth backs Dansk Folkeparti’s call for new rules in return for supporting the government’s budget, which propose deportation regardless of whether the asylum-seekers have a job or have integrated. Additionally, Knuth would like to see them denied family reunification and language lessons.
job market as the refugees are making up for a decline in the number of people coming in from eastern Europe. DI predicts that every fifth person in Denmark between the ages of 20 and 69 will either be an immigrant or the child of an immigrant by 2030 – a total of 720,000 people, which is 160,000 more than today. “It is absolutely vital that we as a society make a great effort to integrate them better into the workforce,” said DI’s deputy head Steen Nielsen. It is a view shared by Morten Goll, the co-founder and executive director of the innovative community centre Trampolinhuset, who recently shared his thoughts – see cphpost.dk for the full interview. “Some politicians have a fear that if we have too many refugees, society will break down because they think that is it the refugees that destroy society,” he told CPH Post. “I am saying that it is the misinterpretation of democracy that destroys society.”
CC
Men more fraudulent
12 - 25 January 2018
ONLINE THIS WEEK Burgled by Santa again SOME 130 burglaries were carried out on 24 December, according to Rigspolitiet figures – 2.7 times higher than on an average day, but much lower than the 268 in 2013. Overall, there were 459 break-ins between December 20 and 24. The most popular region for burglars over the five days was North Zealand, while Bornhom had no burglaries.
The hand that bleeds us
Støjberg, the government has passed 67 laws since 2015 aimed at making it more difficult for refugees to settle in Denmark. “There is little doubt that our tough immigration course has become well known outside our borders, and that was precisely the effect I was looking for,” said Støjberg.
Probable worker shortage HOWEVER, Dansk Industri contends that the new rules would create shortages in the
Asylum rate in freefall ASYLUM-SEEKER numbers are in freefall as the approval rate plummeted last year, and increasing numbers are leaving to move to Germany and Sweden. According to the German Federal Ministry of the Interior, 1,455 asylum-seekers rejected from Denmark moved illegally to Germany from January to October 2017. The border checks do not stop people moving south. Last year, just under 3,500 people applied for asylum in Denmark – the lowest number registered since 2008, when about 2,400 applied. Thanks to the efforts of the immigration minister, Inger
Drastic measures SOME ASYLUM-SEEKERS are even converting to Christianity to improve their chances. A total of 169 converted in 2017 – a rise of around 200 percent on figures for 2014-16. And it would appear to be a successful course of action, as 73 of the 169 seekers were granted a residence permit – a 43 percent strike rate, which is far higher than the national average of 26 percent recorded in the second quarter of 2017. Some of the conversions are rejected asylum-seekers ahead of making another application, and it is believed the practice is particularly common among Iranians. Nevertheless, the number of mosques in Denmark continues to rise. There are now 170 following the addition of 55 in the last 12 years, according to the Mosques in Denmark report. And Danish is increasingly being used in sermons.
Motorised mayhem
Macabre Dracula case
Majesty’s outreached hand
PARLIAMENT has approved the use of motorised skateboards and other wheeled carriers that can reach speeds of 20 km/h. But should the public fear daredevil kids? A 2017 trial allowing 17-year-olds to get a driving licence has been a success thus far, and of the 15,000 new drivers, only two were to blame for accidents. Their inclusion has helped Denmark reach a record 2,983,500 car registrations.
BIZARRE crime stories over Xmas included a two-day manhunt following a fatal shooting in Randers, which ended in Germany; a 55-year-old Funen teacher/handball coach being sentenced to 18 months in prison for abusing 28 girls; and a 35-year-old female sufferer of Münchausen’s syndrome by proxy in Jutland, who was routinely draining blood from her six-year-old son.
QUEEN Margrethe reached out to immigrants in her Christmas speech this year. She emphasised that talented people are needed wherever they come from and that Denmark has historically welcomed foreign workers and outside inspiration. Otherwise, the speech mentioned the importance of the family in all its forms, and how touched she was at the support shown for Prince Henrik, who suffers from dementia.
Under siege BOTH POLICE and firefighters were targeted by New Year revellers who aimed fireworks at them as they carried out their duties. Police officers were hit by a bottle rocket in Slagese, while firefighters were attacked in Viby. In total there were 435 emergency calls on the night. Children tend to be the most vulnerable group, accounting for a third of all injuries.
Opening gambit AHEAD of public sector wage negotiations, the relevant minister, Sophie Løhde, has noted it is unfortunate that the workers’ wages have risen by 1.6 percentage points more than the private sector since 2008. Denmark spends 330 billion kroner every year on paying its 750,000 public sector workers. The negotiations need to be concluded by April 1.
Put Denmark first! PM LARS Løkke Rasmussen used his New Year’s Day speech to promise that his government’s tax reform in 2018 would include income tax cuts for low and medium wage workers, as he wants more people to work – particularly immigrants. “It’s not an issue of skin colour or religion,” he said. “It’s a question of choosing Denmark.”
GPs resign en masse OVER 100 out-of-hours GPs have resigned over a new charge of 4,000 kroner per annum introduced this year to cover the cost of checking their clinics to ensure patient safety is maintained. However, the GPs in question – of which 61 operate in Region Southern Denmark – don’t have clinics as they are constantly on the road. A spokesperson called it a “bureaucrat’s decision”.
NEWS
12 - 25 January 2018
Top five scientific discoveries of 2017
ONLINE THIS WEEK THE ENVIRONMENT minister, Esben Lunde Larsen, is looking at reintroducing a period in which seagulls can be shot – primarily to reduce noise in the cities. Protected since 2013, Larsen is considering a gull shooting season from September to January.
WIKIMEDIA/WEBRIDGE
Gull cull on cards
2017 TOP 5
Old lake to be refilled THE GOVERNMENT has decided to refill the 340-hectare Søborg Lake and re-establish the area in north Zealand as the nature sanctuary it was before it was drained in the 1870s.
End of the 24/7 chemist JANUARY 1 saw every 24/7 pharmacy in the country revert to shorter opening hours bar one – Steno Apotek opposite Copenhagen Central Station – as part of a move to reduce state funding and increase competition in the sector.
Green Christmas DENMARK might not have had a White Christmas, but it had a green one thanks to it being very windy. For the first time in history, the country’s electricity needs on December 24 were met by energy generated from wind power.
ONLINE THIS WEEK Polar bear season GREENLAND has raised the annual quota of polar bears that hunters may shoot to 156. While they are getting thinner, there are far more than thought, according to a recent census.
Sunshine island’s stones SCIENTISTS have labelled 3,000 Stone Age-carved rock fragments found on Bornholm as ‘sun stones’. While they are confident they were carved – in some cases with spiderwebs – 5,000 years ago, they are less confident regarding their purpose.
App for special needs kids TECH STARTUP Timio has launched a smartwatch app designed to help special needs children get through their school day. A visual calendar uses icons and vibrations to give the wearer structure.
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If you can look at worm faeces all day, you deserve all the success you can get
Big blue fish tick
STEPHEN GADD
OVER 90 percent of the Danish fishing industry is now officially sustainable. The milestone followed the awarding of a blue fish label to the brown shrimp fishery in the North Sea by the Maritime Stewardship Council in December.
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HIS YEAR has been a bumper one for Danish researchers. Among other things, there have been breakthroughs in medicine and a number of major archaeological discoveries. Work has been done on schizophrenia, the correlation between birth rate and intelligence – as well as nature conservation. Compiling a top five is never easy, but here is ours – with apologies to any deserving cases omitted. 5. Breaking down resistant bacteria defence Researchers from the University of Copenhagen discovered a method through which antibiotics can be used to impact pathogenic bacteria otherwise naturally resistant to treatment. By inhibiting the energy centre of the bacteria they were able to make it more responsive to an
antibiotic generally used to treat salmonella and E-coli infections. 4. Sensational Viking grave found In March, archaeologists uncovered several chamber-graves in Hørning near Skanderborg in Jutland. One of the chambergraves contains the remains of a high-level person from the early Viking Age, as well as a number of spectacular items that confirm the individual’s high standing. He has been dubbed the ‘Fregerslev Viking’. 3. Revolutionising snakebite treatment Different snakes require different antivenom, and not getting it right can have lethal consequences. Students from DTU Biobuilders developed an apparatus that can ensure snakebite victims receive the correct antivenom. The apparatus analyses a blood sample to ascertain which snake administered the bite – something that could
prove a boon to developing nations with a high frequency of snakebites. 2. Urine test for prostate cancer Every year, 4,500 Danish men are diagnosed as having prostate cancer. Researchers at Aarhus University have developed a new testing method in which a simple urine test can determine whether a man has prostate cancer or not. It is hoped the new test will mean fewer men in future having to undergo an unpleasant prostate biopsy. 1. Danish Reference Genome And the winner: researchers from three different universities – two in Denmark, one in China – analysed the genomes of 50 families. The fruits of their research produced a new body of knowledge called the Danish Reference Genome. The new reference genome can be used to enhance personalised medicine – for example, for mental disorders.
EMA deposit a big drain THE GOVERNMENT lost 49.2 million kroner in its attempt to host the European Medicines Agency – a deposit it paid Copenhagen Towers in Ørestad to reserve office space. However, it could have been worse – had it won it would have paid the EMA’s rent for 20 years.
Wolf attacks increasing THERE were 11 wolf attacks on sheep in 2013, according to the Ministry of Environment and Food, and this past year has seen 23, killing an estimated 50 of the animals.
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NEWS
THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK
ONLINE THIS WEEK CONTRARY to reports that this will be the last ever season of the Crazy Christmas Cabaret, production company London Toast Theatre has confirmed it will be returning to Tivoli on November 13 for another season. Daily chants of “One more year” during this winter’s run persuaded show creator Vivienne McKee to change her mind. Meanwhile, actor Caspar Phillipson has failed in his High Court bid to appeal against a judgement in early 2017 that he must pay London Toast 150,000 kroner for taking sick leave on full pay in 2015 so he could audition for the role of JFK in ‘Jackie’ – a part he won. London Toast refused to give him the time off, as he would have missed five sold-out shows.
Kissing cousins? AUSTRALIAN gossip mag New Idea has published a story claiming Queen Margrethe II has had intimate relations with Prince Philip, the 96-year-old husband of Queen Elizabeth II. It made the claim as Ralph Heimans’ portrait of the prince was unveiled wearing a blue sash denoting his status as a recipient of Denmark’s highest honour, the Order of the Elephant. The portrait was commissioned by Margrethe. Both royals are direct descendants of Christian IX, albeit a generation apart.
AMONG the acts confirming 2018 dates over Christmas were Judas Priest with Megadeth in support (Royal Arena, June 10); Ziggy Marley (Store Vega, July 25); and Gary Numan (Pumpehuset, March 5).
4 Nadia Nadim THE 29-YEAR-OLD landed a Nike sponsorship deal, won worldwide acclaim for her performances at Euro 2017 and agreed a move to English Super League champs Manchester City. The stylish forward, who is training to be a surgeon, speaks nine languages fluently. And now her biggest challenge lies ahead: Mancunian.
Realistic hoops dreams
ONLINE THIS WEEK Mainstream nominations ENGLISH-LANGUAGE performers Charlie Waller (for ‘The Pillowman’) and Dawn Wall (‘Educating Rita’) have been nominated for CPHCulture mainstream acting awards. Meanwhile, Down the Rabbit Hole and Manusarts’ production of ‘Slapstick Sherlock’ has been shortlisted for the special prize. The winners will be announced on February 1.
Legend has cancer
They stole the ladies’ thunder with their Dublin demolition
3 Viktor Axelsen BADMINTON might not be super lucrative, but its appeal is strong in India and China, and the new world number one is poised to capitalise. In August the 23-year-old became the first Danish world champion in men’s singles since Peter Rasmussen in 1997 and then followed the momentum to move to the top of the rankings in September. 2 Pernille Harder FORGET what UEFA said, Harder was the star player at Euro 2017. The 25-year-old forward’s equaliser to tie the game
Log on and love Louisiana
at 2-2 before half-time was one of the best women’s goals ever scored, and she was a constant threat every time she had the ball. She deserved better protection from the refs. 1 Christian Eriksen THE TOTTENHAM midfielder scored 11 goals in 12 games in qualifying – 44 percent of his country’s total return – saving his best to last: a hat-trick away in Dublin in the second leg of Denmark’s 2018 World Cup playoff. Travelling to Russia without him is unthinkable. (BH)
Indie music’s great potential NAVNELØS
Judas Priest in town
5 Nikolaj Ehlers STILL only 21, the Winnipeg Jets winger signed a new sevenyear contract worth 265 million kroner in the autumn following a season in which he scored 25 goals and 39 assists, ranking him third at the club and 30th equal in the NHL. Both the contract and points total (surpassing Frans Nielsen) were Danish records.
2017 TOP 5
LOUISIANA CHANNEL
DANISH entry ‘Du forsvinder’ (‘You Disappear’) is not on the nine-movie shortlist for the Oscar category Best Foreign Language Film – only the second time in eight years that a Danish film has missed out. Swedish entry ‘The Square’, for which Claes Bang became the first Dane to win a European Film Award for ‘best actor’, is still in the running, but the Palme d’Or winner failed to win the Golden Globe on Sunday.
I
T’S IMPOSSIBLE to compile such a list without some glaring omissions – a resurgent Caroline Wozniacki, for example. While Chelsea defender Andreas Christensen, NFL wanabe Andreas ‘Thor’ Knappe and skater Elena Møller Rigas – a strong hope to grab Denmark’s first ever individual Winter Olympic medal – have made strong progress. But none of them could make it into this top five, for whom the last 12 months have been truly spectacular.
PETER WANG - TWITTER
Disappears from list
Danish Sports Personality 2017
DBU
One more year!
12 - 25 January 2018
Fans all over Denmark
Fans all over the world
Fans all over the stage
BASKETBALL expert Peter Wang has established himself as part of one of the wittiest sports commentator duos in Denmark. As the recent appearance of his partner Thomas Bilde on NBA TV would appear to testify, the potential for the popularity of basketball in Denmark is big. Given that Wang and Bilde have now been hosting hoops on Danish TV for ten years, we could think of nobody better to share their insight. (EM)
A TINY Danish video channel, based in the village of Humlebæk 35 km north of Copenhagen, is attracting large audiences worldwide thanks to its eclectic mix of art, music, literature and culture. Each day 12,000 people view the Louisiana Channel’s videos, and that number keeps rising. To find out how the channel has achieved this success, CPH POST spoke to Christian Lund, a co-editor at the Louisiana Channel. (AMH)
IT IS A cold November night in Copenhagen, but the temperature is rising fast at Rust, a live music venue in Nørrebro. The stage is covered with smoke and ever-changing light. A capacity crowd of about 300, all with a beer in hand, are shaking their heads in time with the music. But despite nights like these, indie music is struggling in Denmark but thriving abroad. CPH POST took to the scene to find out more. (SX)
READ THE REST OF THESE STORIES AT CPHPOST.DK
KIM LARSEN, arguably Denmark’s most popular singer, has prostate cancer. The 72-year-old singer, who sprang to fame as the frontman of rock band Gasolin’ in the 1970s, is already undergoing treatment following a December diagnosis. He has accordingly cancelled part of his 2018 tour, including three sold-out concerts at Amager Bio this month. All tickets will be refunded.
Play gets airing after all TWO COPENHAGEN theatres joined forces before Christmas to stage ‘Jul i republikken’, the satirical julekalender radio show pulled by DR at the last minute because it did not live up to its standards. Aveny-T and Mungo Park invited a cast that included Claes Bang (‘The Square’) and former Enhedslisten leader Johanne Schmidt Nielsen to perform the audio play.
Christ the lord! SWIFTLY going viral over Christmas was a rendition of ‘O Come, All Ye Faithful’ by the Herning Boys Choir. The courageous choristers from mid-Jutland were invited to consumer a ghost pepper – a chilli packing more than 1 million Scoville heat units – by former choir member Chili Klaus. It gave a new interpretation to the line ‘Christ the lord’!
TV2 to show ‘X Factor’ TV2 HAS snapped up the rights to broadcast ‘X Factor’ from 2019. DR announced in August that this year – its 11th season – would be its last. Blu will continue to produce the program at TV2. Season 11 started on January 1.
BUSINESS
12 - 25 January 2018
ONLINE THIS WEEK THREE descendants of the scientist HC Ørsted are preparing a case against the energy company Ørsted, which chose to change its name from DONG Energy in October to reflect its shift in focus from fossil fuels to renewable sources. However, the descendants say they were not consulted.
Trouble on the tracks RAIL OPERATOR DSB is laying off 100 employees this month – mostly in admin roles. It will first seek voluntary redundancies. Meanwhile, track maintenance company Banedanmark has paid a 100,000 kroner bonus to the head of its new signal control system, despite it already costing 4.4 billion kroner more than projected and being delayed by seven years until 2030.
Women’s deal extended DR HAS extended its current contract to show all the home games featuring the women’s national football team from 2019 to 2023. Denmark’s defeat in the final of Euro 2017 was seen by 1.4 million viewers. DR has also extended its radio rights deal to cover all games featuring the men’s national side until 2022.
Ireland pays back loan THE IRISH government has repaid Denmark a 3 billion kroner loan four years ahead of schedule, according to the Finance Ministry. The loan was part of an EU and International Monetary Fund loan given to Ireland in 2010 after the country was hit hard by a banking collapse in 2008. It was due to be paid back between 2019 and 2021.
Early gift from H&M CHRISTMAS came early on H&M’s website on the morning of December 22. For a short time, a technical glitch made many of the clothing store’s online products available for sale for just 39.99 kroner an item. A spokesperson festively confirmed all purchases would be honoured at the available price.
ONLINE THIS WEEK DORNUM72
Ørsted faces lawsuit
Optimism high as consumers show confidence Not every ‘record’ paints a full picture though BEN HAMILTON
O
VER 70 PERCENT of Danish workers and 63 percent of the country’s companies believe 2018 will be better than 2017, according to a survey conducted by the recruitment agency Randstad. The Danes certainly prepared for Xmas like confident consumers. Undeterred by the most expensive prices in the EU (47 percent above average according to Danmarks Statistik), there were a record number of Dankort transactions from December 1-23 – up 3.8 percent (1.7 billion kroner) on 2016. And the Ministry of the Economy and the Interior is equally buoyant, predicting Denmark’s GDP will grow by 1.9 percent in 2018 and 1.7 percent in 2019, and that employment will increase by 33,000 in 2018 and 23,000 in 2019. As the year came to an end, it was true there were many reasons for optimism, even if there is sometimes cause for concern not reflected in the headlines.
Offending banks fined BOTH DANSKE Bank and Nordea have been fined over the last month in relation to malpractice – the latter was one of eight companies punished in connection with the Panama Papers. Additionally, Danske Bank now stands accused of failing to properly monitor transactions in Lithuania as well as Estonia. An ongoing investigation into its Estonian violations is being carried out by Finanstilsynet.
Offloading tobacco shares
More travelling, spending and cost-cutting
to a worldwide increase in production.
Infrastructural growth INFRASTRUCTURE-WISE, Denmark is talking up a big
future with both its shipping industry and biggest airport on the frontfoot. Over the last six months, the Danish-flagged fleet has increased by 800,000 gross register tonnage, moving a place up the world rankings to 13th place in terms of total tonnage,. And Copenhagen Airport is making inroads in its bid to increase its annual passenger numbers from 29 to 40 million, recently acquiring a 900 million kroner loan to finance further expansion ahead of an expected lowering of tariffs now Macquarie has departed as a stakeholder, as well as confirming plans for a 20,000 sqm new cargo centre. Intercontinental travel, meanwhile, grew by 6.2 percent in 2017, and the region’s biggest operators are thriving. SAS confirmed its best result for two decades (pre-tax profit of 1.3 billion kroner), while Norwegian has added 32 aircraft, 54 mostly intercontinental routes and 2,000 employees.
Cash curfew introduced
Vestager in the spotlight
Trust issues
RETAIL outlets are no longer obliged to accept cash between 22:00 and 06:00 at night in Denmark, and stores in most urban areas can apply to go cashless from 20:00. So far only Rema 1000 has applied. Meanwhile, the contactless limit has risen from 200 to 350 kroner, after which a PIN code is required. Some 85 percent of transactions are for an amount under 350 kroner.
2018 PROMISES to be a momentous year for Margrethe Vestager, the EU competition commissioner, as she pursues cases against the likes of Apple, Google, Facebook, Amazon and Microsoft to ensure the tech giants pay a fair rate of taxation in the countries in which they operate – so pretty much everywhere. Fiat, Starbucks and most recently IKEA are also on her hitlist.
BITCOIN and review website Trustpilot have been under scrutiny of late. Lars Rohde, the head of the central bank Nationalbanken, has warned of the perils of investing in an “unregulated market” such as Bitcoin. While Trustpilot has been in the spotlight for collecting the data of its clients’ customers, passed on so it can ask for a review, even though it is within the law.
Hoping for fair winds TAKE VESTAS for example. A flurry of late deals in India, Canada and central Europe has ensured another record year, but its 10,595 MW global order intake only marginally surpassed 2016. In truth, 2017 has been disappointing. Not only has its share price suffered, but it looks set to lose many of its orders in the US as the Republican party wants to drastically cut subsidy support for the industry. The 2018 outlook for Danish farmers is also bleak – primarily due to the falling price of pork and butter due
9
Cost-cutting evident COST-CUTTING is all too evident in the Danish private sector, and it’s no surprise to learn that the number of paid internships undertaken by students decreased by 2,000 in 2017 – a 3 percent fall from the previous year. The fall was partly blamed on fewer youngsters pursuing vocational programs, but companies are increasingly regarding the contracts as an expense they can do without. Reducing your overheads will ultimately work in your favour, and the number of bankruptcies fell by 500 during 2017, according to Experian, even though a record 1,380 went belly up in December – the highest monthly figure since records began in 1996.
TWO MORE Danish pension funds are offloading their shares in tobacco companies. PenSam has sold 500 million shares and Lærernes Pension will soon dispose of its entire holdings in tobacco companies. It follows similar moves by PKA Pension and Alm Brands. Meanwhile, Danica Pension has bought Swedish rival SEB Pension from SEB Bank for 6.5 billion kroner.
Courses in robotics and AI THE MINISTRY of Education and Research has approved 19 new university courses, including an MA in robotics and a BA in technical/ data science & artificial intelligence. Other new courses include BAs in crafts (glass and ceramics), taxation, and media/social media.
Lucrative radar deal DANISH engineering company Weibel Scientific has won a three-digit million kroner contract to deliver three radar systems to the US military that will principally be used to track drones. In other news, US design company Knoll has bought Danish rival Muuto for 1.9 billion kroner from capital fund Maj Invest.
Watch this space! DANISH startup Nordgreen has quickly raised its 100,000 kroner target on Kickstarter to crowdfund a new range of watches that “truly meet the bar set by other famous Scandinavian designers but without the price-tag”.
10 OPINION
THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK
UNION VIEWS Steen is senior advisor at Djøf, the Danish Association of Lawyers and Economists. He is a blogger and manager of various projects aimed at generating jobs in the private sector. In this column he writes about trends and tendencies in the labour market. Follow him on Twitter @SteenVive
R
ECRUITERS agree: LinkedIn is the place to be if you are serious about progressing your career. Their confidence is backed by data that shows the increasing importance of the platform. Long list of excuses NEVERTHELESS, I continue to meet professionals who do not have a profile. When I ask them why, their arguments differ. It could be indifferent inattention: “I have a profile, but I haven’t updated anything for years”; a digital incompetence: “What is LinkedIn, and how do I sign on?”; or arriving a little late to the party: “I am actually looking for a job – maybe I should try LinkedIn.” But I do not find any of these explanations valid.
MRUTYUANJAI MISHRA
A means for insights FOR ME, LinkedIn has unambiguously more advantages than disadvantages. LinkedIn is a means for co-operation, exposure, visibility and leads. I can share insights with my network to transform connections into relations. Future employers can see and find me but, equally important, I also can see and find them. I can see their posts and updates and be inspired to co-operate or even apply for an opening. Why opt out? HOWEVER, LinkedIn is not for everybody. If you do not want a profile, let that be an active choice. Personally, I would opt out of LinkedIn if my merits and results naturally spoke on their own without LinkedIn. Equally if I was a born networker, I might not need LinkedIn to present myself or link with people who can help me or who may need my help. Finally, I would not bother if I could not commit the required enthusiasm and effort. A badly maintained LinkedIn profile is, at best, irrelevant. While I find these reasons legit, I am unable to claim any of the above, so I bandwagon! What is your reason to be on LinkedIn or to opt out?
FIVE-FINGERED APPROACH • Use a professional photo • Make sure your background corroborates what you are good at • Write a headline that inspires connections to visit your profile • Focus your CV on who you are and what you do • Get your skills endorsed
Mishra’s Mishmash As a regular contributor to the Times of India, the country’s largest newspaper, Mishra is often soughtafter by Danish media and academia to provide expertise on Asian-related matters, human rights issues and democratisation. He has spent half his life in India and the other half in Denmark and Sweden. NADIA NADIM - FACEBOOK
STEEN VIVE
12 - 25 January 2018
In Dahl’s defence, it only states her surname on her shirt.
D
ENMARK’S most influential politician is Kristian Thulesen Dahl, the leader of Dansk Folkeparti (the Danish People’s Party), the second-largest party in the Danish Parliament. Without his party’s support the government would not have the majority to continue nor the mandate to pass the budget. Takes the cake a bit IT HAS to be mentioned that 2017 happened to be the year when Inger Støjberg, the immigration and integration minister, celebrated Parliament passing the 50th tightening of the immigration law. So Denmark is, in reality, a country that can now boast having one of the tightest immigration laws in the whole of the European Union. The number of asylum-seekers has fallen to a historically low level compared to 2015, when Europe saw a surge in the number of migrants, who were primarily absorbed by Germany and Sweden. As undesired as the surge in the number of asylum-seekers is for the survival of the present government, it is equally
relevant for the present government to boast of how well the integration process is working by showing recent employment statistics. Everything seems to indicate that unemployment in Denmark is at a record low level. Denmark is in a unique situation compared to southern European countries, where unemployment, especially among young people, is very high. But while a fair number relocate to Denmark from other EU countries, many also come from Asia and Africa, and in 2018 their number will add up to a fair percentage of the Danish population. An indelible impression THIS YEAR, Berlingske newspaper’s ‘Dane of the Year 2017 Prize’ went to a young woman, Nadia Nadim, who came from Afghanistan as a 12-year-old girl. Today, she plays football for the Danish national team and English champions Manchester City, who she joined this month after agreeing a move in the autumn, scoring on her debut on Sunday. In the field of writing, one cannot miss the fact that Nilofer
Abbasis, another girl from Afghanistan living in Denmark, ended up writing the most read debate-article of 2017 – in the prominent Danish newspaper Politiken. Meanwhile, at the top of the bestseller list in December was Sara Omar, a Kurdish poet and writer, whose book has been widely received with an overwhelmingly positive response. These are just a few of the many immigrants who have left an indelible impression in 2017. Would fail citizenship test YET, WHEN Kristian Thulesen Dahl was asked to name five immigrants who have made a positive contribution in Denmark during the last year, he could not name one. After the interviewer’s insistence and some thinking time on ‘Ugens Gæst’, a radio program on DR P1, he could eventually remember half a name: “Nadim”. In Denmark, not being able to recall the correct name in a test can deprive you of citizenship. But there are no consequences for politicians when they blunder.
OPINION
12 - 25 January 2018
11
NEXT ISSUE
JESSICA ALEXANDER
The Road Less Taken Jessica is a bestselling US author, Danish parenting expert, columnist, speaker, and cultural researcher. Her work has been featured in TIME, Huffington Post, The Atlantic and The NY Times, among others. She graduated with a BS in psychology and speaks four languages. She currently lives in Italy with her Danish husband and two children.
Crazier than Christmas VIVIENNE MCKEE
Early Rejser
PIXABAY
ADAM WELLS
IN 2 ISSUES
Straight Up ZACH KHADUDU
A Dane Abroad KIRSTEN LOUISE PEDERSEN The stepping stones to success involve a few stumbles
A
S WE HEAD into 2018, it is the time of New Year resolutions being put to the test. Many, if not most of us, will fail. According to Forbes, only 8 percent of us will achieve our New Year resolutions, and this is mainly because people give up when they have a few setbacks and lose their willpower. But what if failures and setbacks were part of the plan? Breaking down bad WHILE writing my next book, ‘The Danish Way of Education; Life Lessons from the Happiest People in the World’, I explore among other things how the courage to fail is woven into the schooling curriculum in Denmark. Some schools actually have ‘try and fail’ as part of their mission statement. Speaking to Linea Thorsen, a high school student from Jutland, I learned that her teacher highly encouraged mistakes. He used bad papers as examples for the class to focus on together, rather than the perfect papers. The basis is that we can learn much more from what we do wrong than what we do right. According to Linea, the kids
didn’t feel bad or embarrassed because it was just seen as normal practice. This inadvertently encourages vulnerability and empathy, which creates more connection rather than disconnection in competition. A little less perfect CAMILLA Semlov, a Danish social worker and family counsellor, told me about her daughter who was extremely academic and worked hard not to make errors at school. Her teacher said she shouldn’t try so hard not to make mistakes. It became part of her goal plan. “The teacher said she needed to be a little less perfect,” Camilla recounted. “She believed she would be happier if she didn’t try to be perfect – and she was.” The drive for perfection, after all, can be the basis for anxiety and a host of other problems. According to a recent article in the New York Times, the rising anxiety epidemic among teens in America is, in fact, tied to a fear of failure and lack of resilience. Happy in failure WHAT IF we expected failure, rather than rejected it, so
that when we fall down we get back up and keep going? This is the crux of resilience, which has been proven to be a cornerstone of happiness. Could this be one of the reasons Denmark consistently scores so high in the World Happiness Report – that they have more reasonable expectations that don’t include perfection? So, this year I am adding one caveat to my typical list of resolutions, and that is the courage to fail. That means that on the days I don’t manage to fulfil my goals and find myself falling into the trap of ‘I can’t’ or using negative labels, I will see those setbacks as opportunities. I will reframe those obstacles into important learning blocks to climb over and jump off from. As long as our compass stays calibrated with the end goal and our true selves, no storm or rough patch can stop us from getting to where we want to be eventually. As Thomas Edison famously said about discovering the light bulb: “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” Failing can be an illumination if we choose to see it that way.
IN 3 ISSUES
Mackindergarten ADRIAN MACKINDER
Straight, No Chaser STEPHEN GADD
IN 4 ISSUES
An Actor’s Life IAN BURNS
Fashion Jam JENNY EGSTEN-ERICSON
12 COMMUNITY
THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK
12 - 25 January 2018
ABOUT TOWN
PHOTOS BY HASSE FERROLD
Despite the close of proximity of Christmas, there are no shortage of national days in December. After all, you can’t pick and choose the day you proclaim independence. But in the end, Copenhagen only witnessed two celebrations in the latter half of the month, and they were both African: Burkina Faso and Niger. On December 11 (left), Burkina Faso’s ambassador Maria-Goretti Blandine Agaleoue (centre) was joined at Børsen by Palestine ambassador Amro AA Alhourani and Ivory Coast ambassador Mina Balde Laurent, the dean of the diplomatic corps. And then a week later (centre), Niger ambassador Amadou Tcheko and his wife welcomed guests including Algerian ambassador Ali Benzerga and Slovakian ambassador Boris Gandel to their reception at the Park Hotel Hellerup Copenhagen. Meanwhile (right), Serbian ambassador Dragana Ivanovic is departing these shores, and she held a farewell reception at her residence in Hellerup where she was presented with a goodbye gift by Laurent on behalf of the diplomatic corps
The new ambassador of Israel is Benjamin Dagan, and the new ambassador of Austria is Maria Rotheiser-Scotti. In time-honoured tradition, may we wish them Shalom and Willkommen respectively!
Central Frederiksberg was the location for a recent meet-up of Cosmopolitan, a group of freemasons in the capital. English-speaking expats are apparently more than welcome, providing they are men
China Denmark Tourism Year 2017 ended with a bang on December 5 at the Royal Theatre as Chinese ambassador Deng Ying (right) greeted the guest of honour, Crown Prince Frederik
The Swedish Embassy was the place to be to celebrate the feastday of St Lucia on December 13, where the ambassador Frederik Jörgensen took to the stage ahead of a candlelight procession all in white
UK ambassador Dominic Schroeder was the guest of honour at the British Chamber of Commerce’s Christmas reception on December 5, where he was joined for a carol and mince pie or two by BCCD president Gareth Garvey (left)
Romanian ambassador Mihai-Alexandru Gradinar and his wife invited members of the International Club Copenhagen, including its president Hasse Ferrold (centre), to his residence to mark 100 years of Romanian-Danish diplomatic relations
The former minister Bertel Haarder (speckled tie) was among those in attendance at a farewell reception for Pia Allerslev (on his right) at City Hall on December 11. She is leaving after two terms of office, firstly as the deputy mayor for culture, and then for children and youth
Sofia Helin and Thure Lindhardt, the stars of the mega popular Danish-Swedish crime series Broen – which has been syndicated across the world – attended a December gala screening of the Season 4 opener ahead of its screening on TV on January 1
Sophie Hæstorp Andersen, the head of the Capitol Region, was the special guest at the December meeting of International Club Copenhagen at Rigshospitalet, where she made an interesting presentation on Danish healthcare to its members
ADVERTORIAL
12 - 25 January 2018
THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK
N
ESTLED in the quaint green corridor just north of Copenhagen, Birkerød Gymnasium has been a melting pot of 16 to 19-yearold Danish and international students for decades. With the world increasingly transforming into a global village, the school has long been ahead of its time. It certainly doesn’t lack in pedigree.
BIRKERØD GYMNASIUM
Christina Rye Tarp
What makes Birkerød Gymnasium so special? Having such a large group of international students makes our school unique compared to other Danish gymnasiums. At BG you find an international environment set in a national Danish school setting, along
Founded way back in 1868, Birkerød Gymnasium accommodates about 1,100 international and Danish students on two national programs and the IB Diploma Programme In fact, the school has grown into one of the biggest IB schools in Denmark since first becoming an IB World School over two decades ago.
Another interesting aspect of Birkerød Gymnasium is its boarding school, one of just three in Zealand, which houses some 78 students and makes it one of the most unique educational establishments in Denmark. CPH POST sat down with IB co-ordinator Christina Rye Tarp for a short Q&A to delve deeper into the intriguing school.
with a great mix of global and local settings.
school as a part of their home. For many, their parents live in another country, and in the case of the boarding school students you often find a Danish/international mix, which is typical in the IB department at BG.
How did incorporating the IB impact the school? It has, of course, made Birkerød Gymnasium into an international school, which is also how we now brand ourselves. Especially now, with our more than 300 pre-IB and IB students representing approximately 50 nationalities, the environment at the school feels truly international. How does the boarding school affect the dynamic of the school? The 78 boarders, most of whom attend pre-IB and the IB Diploma Programme, see the
What are the benefits of having Danish and international students at the same school? It gives the students the opportunity to achieve greater insight into other cultures – to see that people from around the world are different but also in many ways alike. It also gives the students from other countries an insight into Danish society by seeing how a Danish public school is run. The students often establish
BIRKERØD GYMNASIUM
Flying the IB banner in beautiful Birkerød
13
Hats off to you: the graduates of 2017 celebrate in classic Danish fashion
contact all over the world, such as at the annual Global Culture Fair, which is hosted by the IB students, and through other school activities they participate in. How has Birkerød Gymnasium adapted to an increasingly globalised world? Some years ago a few IB students started a MUN (Model United Nations) club at the school and this initiative has grown into an annual MUN conference in Birkerød. BIGMUN, is now one of the largest MUN conferences in Scandinavia, with schools from all over the world attending. Furthermore, the students can participate in exchange trips to
India, Morocco and the USA if they wish for even greater insight into other cultures. Why is Birkerød such an ideal location for the school? It is situated north of the centre of Copenhagen, but trains run to/from Copenhagen every 10 minutes. Many of our pre-IB and IB students commute from Copenhagen (a trip which only takes 20 minutes) and other towns north of Birkerød. BG is situated in a beautiful green landscape close to the largest city in Denmark, so it offers our students the best from both worlds, combining the Danish tradition of small local communities with the atmosphere of an international village.
N
OBODY forgets their favourite teacher. Often they are also our biggest influence: the reason why we targeted the Olympics or strived to become an airline pilot. So how better to celebrate
them than by painting their likeness on a massive mural, just like 28 talented high school students from Copenhagen International School have done. The 43-metre mural, which is located on the Metro fence
right next to the CIS campus in Nordhavn, drew a sizeable crowd when it was unveiled recently. Under the guidance of visiting artist Jacoba Niepoort and high school art teacher Gora Lizaso (bottom right), the stu-
PHOTOS: CIS
OUT AND ABOUT COMING UP SOON
dents have painted portraits of the people who inspire them. While some are CIS staff, others include parents, friends, and siblings. As well as creating a more attractive and child-friendly space surrounding the new
campus, CIS was keen to given its students the opportunity to really ‘own’ the space. With paintings as life-like as this, they now own all the bragging rights as well. DAVE SMITH
14 INOUT
THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK
AS THE number of internationals in Greater Copenhagen continues to grow, so too does the supply of and demand for English-language theatre. Viv, Sue and Ian too THE REGULARS are still here: Ian Burns from That Theatre celebrated his company’s 20th anniversary this year. London Toast, 35 years young, decided to call it a day for its Crazy Christmas Cabaret, but then changed their mind to quell a revolt. And Sue Hansen-Styles at Why Not Theatre and the long-established amateur group CTC continue with purpose, each with busy 2018 schedules to look forward to.
4 Leftfield Theatre In the end, Leftfield Theatre’s production of ‘The Pillowman’ failed to reach the heights of its promise. But what ambition! Staged at a pokey venue where loud jazz music started to filter through in the second half, and madly improvised af-
Year of the breakthrough BUT NONE of them make our top five this year, as there are so many new kids on the block. For theses trailblazers in
Wedding Fair Jan 13-14; Forum, Julius Thomsens Plads 1, Frederiksberg; 100kr Has that holiday romance turned into something more serious? Then head to Forum and walk blissfully handin-hand among the 140 exhibitors promising luxury limousines, tiered cakes, beautiful bouquets, glistening rings and to-die-for dresses.
A NUMBER by CARYL CHURCHILL
MUSICAL
Chess Jan 19-Feb 17; Tivoli Concert Hall; from 225kr; chessmusical.dk If you’re not put off by your favourite musical being translated into Danish, then there’s a treat waiting for you at Tivoli. After all, the music was written by Scandinavian cousins Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus of ABBA, and losing the lyrics of Tim Rice is hardly a disaster.
YOUTUBE
Camping Fair Jan 19-21; Bella Center, Center Boulevard 5, Cph S; 80kr; campingibella.dk Camping’s come a long way since our youth, when it was perceived as more punishment than pleasure. Leaving all your electronic devices at home, it’s a welcome chance to switch off, recharge and ultimately count your blessings for all the modcons that make modern life such a breeze.
TRADESHOW
TIVOLI.DK
GOODFREEPHOTOS.COM
PEXELS
MANUSARTS
Sex and Betrayal – Between the Sheets Jan 18-28, Tue-Sat 19:00, Sun times vary; House of International Theatre, Huset 4th floor Rådhusstræde 13, Cph K; 150kr, concessions available, goo.gl/4XpRqo Manusarts and Down the Rabbit Hole presents this study of modern dating, examining the ins and outs of intimacy, the plurality of monogamy, and what it really means to let your heart decide.
TRADESHOW
We don’t really deserve Charlie, the 30-something lead singer of acclaimed British band the Rumble Strips, who this year has been trying his hand at acting in Copenhagen. Just recently he teamed up with Adrian Mackinderen to deliver a naturalistic rendition of ‘A Zoo Story’ that impressed our US reviewer, and he is a regular at Improv Comedy CPH. But it was in Leftfield’s ‘The Pillowman’ at Huset’s Bastarden in April that he really shone. Like so many musicians, Waller has that unteachable lead singer’s gift of connecting with an audience without looking desperate to do so. As an actor he has similar qualities to Iwan Rheon – a virginal innocence with a twinkle in the eye that suggests he’ll murder your family if he needs to.
Newly graduated from Copenhagen Film and Theatre School, the British actress has been dabbling in theatre for five years in Copenhagen, but 2017 was undoubtedly her year as she notched up over ten acting credits across Denmark, including a sizeable role in the web series ‘Porno Leif ’. And then in the autumn, iced the cake with a knockout performance as the title character in That Theatre’s ‘Educating Rita’. From the very first scene, she made the fourth wall’s first floor windows come alive through her curious gaze, which as the play evolved became ever more confident and knowledgeable. It underpinned a tour-de-force of comic timing, thoughtful inflection and impressive intuition.
3 Manusarts Talking big is one thing, but co-producing a whole program of plays is another. In Manusarts international artistic director Jana Pulkrabek, Jeremy Thomas Poulsen of Down the Rabbit Hole Theatre, the resident group at the new House of International Theatre at Huset, has found a true kindred spirit to realise his huge amibition to regularly stage theatre – a mix of the quirky and the home-grown. Based in both Hamburg and Copenhagen, the fearless Pulkrabek has infectious energy. And their discounted season tickets make a great present for that reluctant theatre-goer who just needs that little push out of their armchair.
5 CBS Theatre Among the many new arrivals on the scene this year are this group from Copenhagen Business School. For their debut they delivered the farcical, raunchy romp ‘Boeing Boeing’. Everything about it was slick, from superb casting to slick marketing - doing its alma mater’s reputation as a business school no damage at all!
LEFTFIELD THEATRE
ENGLISH-LANGUAGE THEATRE TRAILBLAZERS
1 Charlie Waller
2 Dawn Wall THAT THEATRE
ter the pupeteer did a runner days before the opening night, this was a ballsy effort orchestrated by the human dynamo Lee Elms, a former CTC actor who wants to deliver highoctane theatre turbulence to engage the HBO generation. One to look out for in 2018!
2017, you could easily read as ‘breakthroughs’. And if the recent CPHKultur mainstream acting nominations (see page 9) were anything to go by, the English language stars are breaking through the ceiling and threatening to become part of the mainstream theatre scene.
2017 TOP 5
THEATRE
12 - 25 January 2018
DANCE
Trad On The Prom Jan 20, 20:00; Greve Teater- & Musikhus, Portalen 1, Greve; 250kr, portalen.dk This is Ireland’s number one dance and music experience according to the promoters, and it will duly deliver all your favourites, such as Riverdance and Lord of the Dance. Six dancers and six musicians guarantee an evening of classic Gaelic fun. Krudttønden Serridslevvej 2 2100 København Ø teaterbilletter.dk
Ian Burns
70 20 20 96
Rasmus Emil Mortensen
that-theatre.com
director Helen Parry
21 Feb – 24 Mar ‘18 Photo: Simon Dixgaard
ON SCREENS
12 - 25 January 2018
15
Oscars just like Christmas: Start with a turkey! BEN HAMILTON
T
V IS DEAD. Long live TV. The way we watch it has changed forever and it’s time for us to switch off our TV listings page forever. It ceased providing listings years ago in a bid to adopt a more relevant format including documentaries and the odd BBC drama you might have never heard of, the big sports events coming up, and all the new US shows you could stream or, legally of course, download. Given that TV has been bigger than cinema for some time now, we can’t just let it go. We’ll therefore be doing our best to let you know about the new shows coming up on HBO Nordic and Netflix Danmark, as well as DR and SVT. With the titles bolded for a quick, easy read (if you want to avoid all the trivia and bad gags), we hope ‘On Screens’ (previously ‘At Cinemas’) will continue to be of service.
From turkey to triumph SO, HEADING into January and we’re knee-deep in Oscar territory. Heading the race to win best film is Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (released on Jan 11; 87 on Metacritic), and while it’s hard to conceive that a film with such a silly title could win the industry’s biggest prize, they did nearly give it to La La Land last year. It would mark a huge turnaround for director Martin McDonagh, who followed up on a brilliant debut, In Bruges, with the bafflingly bad, pseudo-1990s screwball thriller Seven Psychopaths. But that’s not necessarily abnormal
in Hollywood. Unless you only direct your own scripts, you’re never immune to making a bad film. In fact, a quick look at Oscar history reveals it’s rule of thumb you make a turkey before grabbing the golden goose. OSS 117: Lost in Rio (The Artist), K-19: The Widowmaker (The Hurt Locker), The Ladykillers (No Country for Old Men), Death Becomes Her (Forest Gump), Married to the Mob (The Silence of the Lambs) and Her Alibi (Driving Miss Daisy) are just six of the many terrible films that directors made before hitting the big time. Whiff of the Coens SO WHAT can we expect from Three Billboards? According to the Wall Street Journal, it’s “darkly comic, blazingly profane, flat-out hilarious and shockingly violent, not to mention flippant, tender, poetic and profound”, while Rolling Stone hails a “renegade masterpiece that will get you good”. Central to its power is the performance of Frances McDormand as a mother who erects three billboards to question why the local police aren’t doing more to solve the murder of her daughter. Grief gives way to anger, as a series of mostly violent acts accelerate McDonagh’s adroit script to a pulsating conclusion. It’s as philosophical as the Coen Brothers at their best and surprisingly compassionate. She may have won an Academy Award for Fargo but McDormand has never been better. With strong support from Sam Rockwell, its Oscar favourites tag is well deserved, but with five other films rated 11/1 or shorter, this race is going down to the wire.
Downwards, not sideways NO NOT Matt Damon’s penis in Downsizing (Jan 18; 63), that’s even smaller after he makes the decision to reduce his height to just five inches in this scifi from the king of dramedy, Alexander Payne (Sideways). But unfortunately the joke that your money goes a lot further when you can live in a Barbie dollhouse wears thin after a while, and Payne is clearly struggling to decide what kind of film this is. Sure, it casts a satirical eye at global warming and liberal guilt, but it also gets an uncomfortable amount of comic mileage out of a Vietnamese refugee’s pidgin English – Hong Chau in the film’s standout performance. Angry, always angry EKING out every available drop of petrol out of his gig as the go-to angry man in his 60s on a vendetta – providing there’s enough left for some obligatory Molotov cocktails – is Liam Neeson. It’s got to a point when you could cast him in any mundane profession and the film title would sound menacing. ‘The Milkman’ – the last mistake she made was thinking she could ride on his cart for free. ‘The Airport Car Rental Operative’ – on the journey to Carpark Z, his life changed forever. In The Commuter (Jan 11; 57), Neeson is asked to help a stranger on a train. You see, there’s the plothole right there. Never talk to strangers on a train! Fly in the ointment AND NEVER let a Dane choose the English film title. Danish director Per Fly has made a thriller that looks wrong on so many levels –
Frances is in the mood to truss the local sheriff
Backstabbing for Beginners (Jan 18; Not Released Worldwide) is a title right out of the late 1980s. The career of Fly, one of Denmark’s most talked about directors ten years ago after the likes of Drabet and the TV series Forestillinger, has stalled of late with forgettable English-language fare. Ben Kingsley is involved this time around, along with a teen heart-throb from the sub-par Divergent Series, but we’re not holding our breath if Fly wrote the screenplay. Like it says on the tin FINALLY, the last of the new releases, Wonderstruck (71; Jan 18), has received positive reviews. Acclaimed director Todd Haynes presents interlocking tales 50 years apart in which two children try to solve what appears to be the same mystery. IndieWire applauds “a soulstirring and fiercely uncynical film”, while The Hollywood Reporter was full of praise for an “uncommonly grown-up film about children, communication, connection and memory”. Strong TV line-up SO, WHAT’S out there in TV land? Series wise, we’ve got three
that might be worth checking out. Hard Sun (SVT1; Jan 14, 22:00) is a pre-apocalyptic series crafted by Neil Cross (Luther), which made its debut to acclaim in the UK over the weekend. British teen dramedy series The End of the F***ing World (Netflix since Jan 5) received rave reviews when released in October – the US-style production quality is evident from the moment it starts. And The Chi (HBO Nordic since Jan 8) immerses us in life on the South Side of Chicago – early word is promising. Meanwhile, the first episodes of 2016 British crime series Maigret starring Rowan Atkinson and 2017 crime series Prime Suspect 1973 are both now available to stream on DR TV, while the 1990 version of The Handmaid’s Tale (DRK; Jan 11, 20:00) is on tonight – if you’re reading this on print day. But whatever you do, avoid the new Will Smith film Bright (29; released on Netflix). It’s a film so risible, Hollywood executors are falling over one another to enlist its director to deliver at the 2019 Oscars.
Birkerø d Gy mnasium HF, IB & B o arding S cho ol
Study IB at a truly international school a stone’s throw from Copenhagen OPEN HOUSE Tuesday the 23 rd of Januar y 201 8 7.30pm We look for wa rd to seeing you!
Birkerød Gymnasium, HF, IB & Boarding School has been an IB World School since 1991, offering Pre-IB and the upper secondary IB Diploma Programme. A vibrant environment of more than 60 nationalities gives the school a unique international atmosphere in which not only English and Danish are spoken, but also a number of other languages. IB at Birkerød Gymnasium is a unique chance to experience both the international atmosphere of the IB programmes as well as the atmosphere of a Danish national school. To learn more about IB at Birkerød Gymnasium visit www.birke-gym.dk