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25 MARCH - 7 APRIL 2022 VOL 25 ISSUE 04

DANISH NEWS IN ENGLISH | CPHPOST.DK ISTOCK

SPECIAL EDITION

UP CHEAT'S CREEK WITHOUT A PADDLE?

INSIDE

Saluting the development miracle that is Bangladesh with a special edition to mark 50 years of the South Asian country's diplomatic ties with Denmark

WAR IN UKRAINE

3 Danish companies with ongoing business concerns in Russia, such as Carlsberg, have blood on their hands, claims Ukrainian ambassador

COMMUNITY

18-19 A sea of green descended on the capital for St Patrick's Day, or was that just the queasy reviewer who popped our cherry in the three-legged race?

HISTORY

20-21 A Canadian adventurer reveals how he is continuing the quest of a Danish historian to confirm the true landing spot of Leif Erikson in 1000 AD

LOCAL THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

25 MARCH - 7 APRIL 2022

SPANDEX ON STANDBY!

ONLINE THIS WEEK THE VEJDIREKTORATET road directorate has launched a series of initiatives in Copenhagen with the purpose of preparing for the construction of the Nordhavn Tunnel link that will connect Østerbro to Nordhavn. Among other things, signal-regulated traffic lights will be established on Strandvænget in Østerbro to ensure smooth access to the construction site. Man killed by train

A 22-YEAR-OLD man lost his life on March 13 when he was hit by a train near Nordhavn Station, presumably because he got lost and tried to cross the tracks. The discovery of his body caused major disruptions on Copenhagen's S-train network.

This could end up being the longest queue since the Brits arrived in 1945

Cycling fans will be able to race the prologue course the day after the Tour de France starts in Copenhagen BEN HAMILTON

HE ORGANISERS of Danish Grand Départ, the three opening stages of the 2022 Tour de France in Denmark, have confirmed that the public will be able to cycle the 13 km prologue route the morning after the race starts in Copenhagen (see image above). Ahead of the second stage starting in Roskilde, the route will remain barriered between 09:00 and 12:00.

Huge festival in Parken MEANWHILE, it has been confirmed that Fælledparken will welcome an anticipated 20,000 guests to a festival taking place from July 1-2 to mark Copenhagen hosting the opening day. FestiVélo, which is being billed as a bicycle festival, will be specifically located between Øster Allé, Fælledsøen and Café-Pavillonen. It will be open from 12:00 to 22:00 on the Friday and 09:00 to 22:00 on the Saturday. Paying the lion's share THE BUDGET to host all three stages, the Danish Grand Départ, is 88 million kroner. The state is coughing up 17 mil-

lion, the regions 15 million, Copenhagen Municipality 50 million and the other hosting municipalities 5 million. A fan park will open at Kongens Nytorv on June 29 and the municipality will start closing off roads to traffic on June 27.

Dragør water fears

CONCERNS are growing that the water in Dragør Municipality is not fit for drinking. Two wells were recently closed following the discovery of pesticides and PFOS residue originating from Copenhagen Airport. COWI has advised Dragør to source its drinking water from the capital region. Its Amager neighbour Tårnby pipes in about 70 percent of its drinking water.

Best avoided IT MIGHT perhaps be best to avoid travel in Denmark from July 1-3, as the Tour de France stages will significantly impact traffic. Roads will be sealed off for 4-12 hours on race days: the prologue time trial in Copenhagen, Roskilde-Nyborg on day two and Vejle-Sønderborg on day three.

More parking fines

TOXIC MAYOR STEPS DOWN Her replacement has been confirmed as fellow Venstre councillor Jens-Kristian Lütken.

Writing was on the wall COMMISSIONED in February, the internal report further revealed that almost half of the employees reporting abuse blamed the abusive behaviour on the political leadership. Within hours, Venstre Youth withdrew its support for Lonning-Skovgaard – and so did fellow Venstre councillor Cille Hald Egholm. The whole affair began in January when the trade unions Djøf and HK penned an open letter on behalf of 2,000 of its members that criticised the

ECILIA Lonning-Skovgaard last week stepped down as the Copenhagen mayor for employment and integration, hours after DR confirmed an internal report revealing that 27 percent of the 188 employees working in her department had experienced abusive behaviour in the workplace. She blamed “intense press coverage … in recent months … [that] had begun to overshadow the party and the opportunity to pursue bourgeois-liberal politics in Copenhagen”.

Ejvind Sandal

Hans Hermansen

CO-OWNER

CEO

Ben Hamilton EDITOR

COPENHAGEN Municipality issued 277,558 parking tickets in 2021 – a rise of just over 50,000 on the previous year. However, the number was still low compared to corona-free years, when the number ranged between 300,000 and 330,000. The most common offence is parking too close (within ten metres) to a junction. Summers could be sticky

Baring her teeth for attack mode

mayor for having a "deeply problematic management style". In response, Lonning-Skovgaard agreed to receive counselling. (BH)

Editorial offices: Holbergsgade 24 kld 1057 Copenhagen Denmark

CJUSTDK

Internal report the final straw for party colleagues and ultimately the city’s chief for employment and integration, Cecilia Lonning-Skovgaard

ARMELLE DELMELLE

KK.DK

Prep work for tunnel

FIVE SWIMMING pools in the capital could be closed for lengthy summer periods over the next three and a half years – and maybe up to 10. The five pools are: Vesterbro Svømmehal, Sundby Bad, Emdrup Bad, Frankrigsgade Svømmehal and Valby Vandkulturhus. Another pool, Bellahøj Svømmestadion, will be closed for renovation work from July 3.

Among most cultured

COPENHAGEN has been named the sixth most cultured city in the world on a list compiled by Uswitch that was dominated by Europe. In total, it assessed 69 of the world's leading cities, totalling the number of museums, landmarks, theatres, and cultural tours. The top five were Prague, Amsterdam, Dublin, Rome and Munich. No other Nordic cities made the top 15. Life on water in demand

THE CITY wants to open up more waterfront space for houseboats due to increased demand. City developer By & Havn has pinpointed several areas where this could be most feasible – most notably at Stejlepladsen in Sydhavn, along with areas in Islands Brygge, Christiansholm, Prøvestenen Syd, Nordhavn and Holmen. Curbing long-term parking

LOCAL politicians are looking into the possibility of ushering in time-sensitive parking zones in a bid to reduce long-term parking in the city. The city wants the zones to be limited to a maximum of three hours in order to prevent commuters from filling up the streets with their cars. Initially, funding has been set aside for 15 such zones. Graffiti costing DSB millions

NATIONAL rail operator DSB spent 71 million kroner on removing graffiti from its S-trains in Copenhagen last year. It costs DSB 100,000 kroner to clean graffiti from a single train carriage. Punishments are stiff for the vandals if caught: the maximum prison sentence is six years and the fines tend to be huge.

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Christian Wenande

Stephen Gadd

Hasse Ferrold

Lena Hunter

NEWS/LAYOUT EDITOR

CONTRIBUTOR

PHOTOGRAPHER

JOURNALIST

DANISH NEWS IN ENGLISH | CPHPOST.DK

Barbara Mensah SOCIAL MEDIA

WAR IN UKRAINE THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

25 MARCH - 7 APRIL 2022

CARLSBERG’S GESTURE IS SMALL BEER

ONLINE THIS WEEK

Brewer determined to maintain control over most of its Russian assets at a time when most Danish companies are distancing themselves ARMELLE DELMELLE

ARLSBERG has confirmed it will continue to produce its Baltika beer in Russia – the brand that accounts for about 90 percent of its assets in Russia. It’s estimated the brewer has spent something in the region of 50 billion kroner to gain a foothold in the Russian market. But at a time when most Danish companies are withdrawing from the sanctioned county – the brewer will stop selling Carlsberg branded beer in Russia and avoid making new investments there – it remains to be seen what kind of backlash there might be. According to Cees't Hart, the CEO of Carlsberg, the company wants to look out for its 8,400 employees at eight breweries in Russia. Carlsberg is donating 75 million kroner to war relief efforts in Ukraine, where it has a further 1,300 employees.

sanctions" and "unpredictable operating environment" in the country. Vestas has put on hold four windfarm projects in Russia, citing the safety of its employees. The projects were commissioned by the energy fund WEDF, which is a collaboration between the Finnish energy company Fortum and the Russian nanotechnology company Rusnano. Other companies to suspend or close operations include the paint group Flügger, which has shut down all its operations in the country, and furniture chain Jysk, which has closed 13 stores in Russia. Additionally, Jysk closed 86 stores in Ukraine and sent all the employees (in both countries) home with salaries paid until the end of March. DSV has done the same.

been put on hold due to the conflict, he told Politiken. “We risk that Putin’s oligarch pals, who have had their assets frozen, will be given the keys to these companies so they can skim the profits – “and some of that will no doubt go to Putin and the war in Ukraine,” concurred Peter Thagesen, the deputy head of Dansk Industri. Both the business minister, Simon Kollerup, and foreign minister, Jeppe Kofod, have said they are proud of the effort made by Danish companies to distance themselves.

BEREDSKABSSTYRELSEN

CARLSBERG GROUP

Carlsberg beer will be taken off Russian shelves, but Baltika will remain

Fire engine donation

Danes signing up

FOUR PRIVATELY-OWNED fire engines have been donated to Ukraine. The Danish Emergency Services transported the vehicles on March 11 to an EU warehouse in Poland. From there, the Ukrainian authorities will arrange transport into Ukraine. All four fire engines are fully functional and donated by the company RK Brand & Teknik.

IT IS BELIEVED that well over 100 Danes have volunteered to fight for Ukraine in an international unit formed out of more than 20,000 overseas people from 52 countries. However, Danmarks Veteraner, which strongly advises going, estimates only 10-15 of the Danes previously completed their military service.

Keeping busy

ACCOMMODATION is available for Ukrainian refugees at Ottiliahus in Valby, where many of the first arrivals from the warzone helped volunteers to get the site ready. Ottiliahus is gladly receiving beds and fridges from the public, along with clothes, shoes and toys for the onsite volunteer-run store. Over a billion raised

Turned down by state

DANISH Air Transport in Vamdrup has offered to pick up Ukrainian refugees in an ATR72 aircraft with seating for 74 people - the first trip at its own expense (estimated to be 175,000 kroner). However, it never heard back from the government. In August, DAT brough diplomats and refugees out of Afghanistan. Facebook removes posts

DANES have raised over 1 billion kroner in aid for Ukraine – a record amount for a cause. The quickly organised concert Sammen for Ukraine on March 12 raised close to 200 million kroner (see page 8).

FACEBOOK has removed misleading posts made by the Russian Embassy in Copenhagen and 17 others. The 18 Russian embassies claimed reports of the bombing of a maternity and children's hospital in Ukraine were false.

Embassy targeted

Focused on youngsters

POLICE are seeking a cyclist who went around the back of the Russian Embassy, which is located on Kristianiagade in Østerbro, and threw red paint at a wall. The embassy informed the police at 06:57 on the morning of March 17.

COPENHAGEN City Hall has been busy setting up a taskforce to help arriving Ukrainian refugees to acclimatise – particularly in relation to pre-school children, as it is believed that older kids can still participate in digital teaching from back home in Ukraine.

Lego and Vestas exiting AMONG the companies to suspend operations in Russia are Lego and Vestas. The LEGO Group, which has donated 10 million kroner in war relief, has confirmed it has "paused shipments of products to Russia" due to the "impact of

Ambassadorial warnings BOTH MYKHAILO Vydoinyk and Vladimir Barbin, the respective Ukrainian and Russian ambassadors to Denmark, are upset with the way Danish companies have behaved. Vydoinyk claims they have blood on their hands if they stay in Russia, or otherwise they must take responsibility for some of the casualties – particularly among children. But if they do leave and then want to return, warned Barbin, they might be in for a shock, as Russia will seize control of Danish factories and offices that have

Economy hit hard ONE THING’S for sure: the war will negatively impact the Danish economy this year, contends Denmark's central bank, Nationalbanken. In a report published last week, the bank predicts GDP growth of 2.1 percent for 2022, which is 1.0 percentage points lower than the 3.1 percent it predicted for the year in September 2021. “The war in Ukraine has in a short time become a new and destabilising factor in the Danish and global economy. It dampens growth and increases inflation at a time when inflation and capacity utilisation is already high,” wrote Nationalbanken. “The Danish economy is generally robust and able to handle new challenges, and it is expected to enter a pause in growth. However, there are risks of a fall in activity.”

Rejected at border

Critical law quickly passed

Anti-Russian graffiti

Chemical weapon warning

Monopoly money alert

AS MANY as 250 refugees fleeing Ukraine have been rejected at the Danish-German border since March 11 because they did not satisfy Denmark's requirement for entry. It is thought that the majority are foreign nationals of countries outside the EU who have Ukrainian residence permits, who are seeking transit through Denmark on their way to Sweden or Norway.

PARLIAMENT has passed the so-called Ukrainian Law, a fast-tracked piece of legislation that gives Ukrainian refugees more or less the same rights as arrivals from other EU countries. They will now be able to quickly get a two-year residence permit with the possibility of extending for another three, a CPR number, tax card and accordingly a job, as well as access to housing.

THE LITTLE Mermaid was vandalised on March 6 with graffiti comparing Russia to the Nazis. On the statue’s plinth, an equals sign and a swastika followed the letter ‘Z’, the symbol of support for the Russian war effort. Similar graffiti has been seen on the Aleksander Nevskij Church in Copenhagen, even though it does not belong to the Russian Orthodox Patriarchy.

PM METTE Frederiksen has warned that Russia's use of chemical weapons would be a violation of international treaties. Russia has previously been accused of using chemical weapons in assassination attempts: most recently on Sergei Skripal and his daughter in 2018 in Salisbury, and then on opposition politician Alexei Navalny in 2020.

IT COULD cost a Danish company a lot to send an order to Russia right now, as a new law permits Russian companies to pay invoices from foreign companies in roubles – even if the invoice is issued in euros or dollars. The same measure also allows the Russian central bank to determine the exchange rate of the rouble.

DANISH NEWS IN ENGLISH | CPHPOST.DK

Vaccine donations

DENMARK is donating MFR and DiTE vaccines (respectively protecting against measles, mumps, and rubella, and diphtheria and tetanus) to Ukrainian refugees in Poland. Statens Serum Institut currently has 40,000 MFR vaccines and 93,000 DiTE vaccines that can be donated without affecting Danish preparedness.

Good start with the gas

A FUTURE without Russian gas is not as unpalatable for Denmark as it is for other countries. In 2020, natural gas only accounted for 13 percent of Denmark’s energy consumption – the lowest amount since 1990 and used mostly to heat homes. Only 41 percent of the gas was imported.

COVER THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

25 MARCH - 7 APRIL 2022

WIDESPREAD DISSATISFACTION SUGGESTS DANISH PADDLEBOARD COMPANY IS CHEATING ITS CUSTOMERS

ARMELLE DELMELLE

The present that never arrived ON 2 JUNE 2021, Mark from the Netherlands ordered a paddleboard well ahead of his wife’s birthday. Immediately after placing his order, he received an email: the delivery date (up to five working days) wouldn’t be met and had already been postponed by a few weeks. He reasoned that it might still arrive in time for the big day. But it didn’t, and then even more time passed, still with no news of his paddleboard. Mark soughts answers, but his emails remained unanswered. Eventually he cancelled his order, but still no reply.

Arrived but damaged FABRIZIO lives in Italy, and he bought some paddleboards in August 2021 for 460 euros (3,422 kroner). Given the circumstances, he believes it’s a miracle he ever received them. But there was a catch: they were in a very bad condition. Early warning signs included PayPal not working, but he went ahead with another payment option and paid directly with his credit card. Two months then passed, during which time he wrote countless emails, but only ever got an automatic reply. When they arrived, he inflated them and quickly realised something was wrong: “Right away I saw that the texture around the valve was broken and the other one was full of bubbles.” He immediately asked for a refund, and for once got a quick reply. He was asked to take photos and also for his bank information. Nevertheless, he did

Trip to the warehouse CPHPOST has contacted CoolSnow and Anders Larsen on multiple occasions, but not yet got a reply. That does not come as a surprise. In fact, none of CoolSnow’s social media accounts have posted anything for months. If you’re lucky, the telephone number on CoolSnow’s website will eventually relay a message telling you to send an email. Other times, it will just hang up. CPH POST have spoken to many customers who have literally spent hours on the phone trying to get through. Accordingly, CPH POST visited the company’s warehouse in an industrial estate in Viby on the outskirts of Aarhus, but it was not easy to find. Google Maps took us to a car dealership. It tran- Our investigation led us to this industrial park spired we were not the first ones! The car dealership has even tried to change its address on Google to avoid future inquiries. Finally we found the warehouse. CoolSnow’s name, marked in smaller letters on a metallic door, confirmed it was the right place. The warehouse appeared to be full of boxes, but nothing indicated what might be in them. And, of course, nobody was there. Finally an answer! ALSO, on the door were two phone numbers: one for deliveries and the other for pick-ups. The first one picked up quite fast. Unfortunately, it was “just an employee” who works at the warehouse preparing the packages. His only comment was that “he has nothing to do with this”. He told CPH POST we might have more luck with the second phone number. We didn’t. It took us to voicemail, where we left a message asking to be called back. We’re still waiting. However, the number did yield more information about Anders Larsen. It turns out that CoolSnow it not his first business, or even his last. Between April 2016 and September 2017, he owned and managed an online shop called AL Investment, and then in January 2022, he opened a new business called Hand me Down. Despite having a physical address in the centre of Aarhus, it does not have a phone number! CPH POST has been unable to reach the new firm for comment. But maybe the police will have more luck. Many of the CoolSnow customers who feel like they had been scammed have filed complaints with the Danish police. At the time of going to press, the investigation is ongoing in Aarhus.

DANISH NEWS IN ENGLISH | CPHPOST.DK

FACEBOOK/ FABRIZIO ARA

Nothing cool about its service FORTUNATELY for those interested in buying one, the Danish company CoolSnow caters to all watersports enthusiasts. Thousands and thousands, from across Europe, spied the company’s paddleboard adverts and placed orders. CPH POST has been in contact with many of them: customers of CoolSnow who live in the likes of Denmark, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Sweden. And a worrying pattern emerges: all of them are highly dissatisfied with the company. Either they are still waiting for the paddleboard to be posted, or when it has arrived, it has been in bad shape. Furthermore, CoolSnow hasn’t been receptive to refund requests. In fact, it doesn’t reply to inquiries, period. While there are multiple versions of its website, there are no versions of an available contact.

Nothing express about delivery MARK IS not the only one who feels like they have been scammed by CoolSnow and its CEO, Anders Larsen. Dorien (the Netherlands), Line (Denmark), Rachel (UK) and many others have similar stories. Rachel bought a couple of paddleboards to go on holiday with her sons. She paid for express delivery but never got what she ordered. As her holiday approached – during which time, she did not get any replies from CoolSnow – Rachel chose another option. She contacted her bank directly. After proving she did not receive her boards nor any news from the company, she got reimbursed. But the money came from her bank, not from CoolSnow.

not receive his money. The company blamed the payment system. As of this week, Fabrizio still hasn’t received payment.

FACEBOOK/ FABRIZIO ARA

HEN THE COVID-19 restrictions hit back in 2020, increasing numbers of people headed outdoors (when allowed to) to pursue leisure activities by land, air and water. Two feet firmly on the ground was the most popular choice as we started taking longer walks or bicycle trips than normal. Some of us even took up jogging. The brave ventured into the air. Kite-surfing has never been more popular. Even hot-air ballooning has been enjoying a renaissance. And for a good compromise, many took to the water. Out of nowhere a heavy-duty surfboard, but with a paddle, became the must-have item in our beachside huts. Few items have been in more demand since the start of the pandemic than a paddleboard.

The same was true of customer services in the Netherlands. Finally, after 90 minutes of waiting via the Danish number, he got a reply. By the end of the call, Mark believed he would get his money back. But five days later, there was no money in his account. Furthermore, he received a notification from CoolSnow informing him that the product was on the way. During another call, Mark was told to refuse the package and that he would get his money after that. Days later an email told him the refund was processed. But again, it did not make it into Mark’s bank account. Since then, silence. His calls are no longer answered, or emails replied to. He has even asked the conflict-resolver Naevnenes Hus for help, but it failed to get an answer and had to close the case. It’s been nearly ten months since Mark placed his order. At this rate, maybe the paddleboard will turn up in time for his wife’s next birthday

PAUL-LOUIS GODIER

An ongoing police investigation will reveal how crooked CoolSnow is. At best, it's incompetently run. At worst, it’s a deeply fraudulent enterprise darkening Denmark’s reputation among European watersports enthusiasts

INTERNATIONAL THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

25 MARCH - 7 APRIL 2022

SENTENCED IN DENMARK, SERVED IN KOSOVO PIXABAY

Government one step closer to plans to send deportable convicts overseas ARMELLE DELMELLE

HOULD a new bill be passed, Denmark will be able to send 300 deportable convicts every year to serve their sentences in Kosovo. The bill proposes allocating about 4 billion kroner for the period 2022-2025. There are currently too few prison officers and too few places. It is expected that by 2025, the prison services will lack up to 1,000 places. By chance, 300 is also the number of pages in the bill that Hækkerup explained will "ensure the legal basis for sending criminals who have been sentenced to deportation and who are undesirable and have no future in Denmark to serve their sentences in Kosovo". Human rights respected DENMARK'S international obligations will be respected in the prison, and health laws will be amended to safeguard the treatment of prisoners in Kosovo.

ONLINE THIS WEEK UAE extradition deal

Refusing to leave Sweden

THE JUSTICE minister, Nick Hækkerup, visited Dubai last week to officially sign an extradition agreement with the UAE. Hækkerup told media he hoped Denmark would be able to extradite two suspects: a man accused of orchestrating the share dividend refund scheme, and a man accused of the hit-and-run killing of a police officer on Langebro Bridge in 2019.

TWO SWEDISH men have been arrested in the case of a murder in Vesterbro on February 4. A third man – a Dane – is being held in Sweden, but refuses to be extradited to Denmark. They are suspected of shooting dead a 36-year-old man – also a Swedish citizen. Copenhagen Police have therefore requested the Dane's extradition.

Tourists coming back

A new perspective for barbed comments comparing prisons to hotels

“We must ensure that the conditions in the prison in Kosovo are basically equivalent to a prison in Denmark,” cautioned Hækkerup. Once they have served their sentence, prisoners will be sent directly from Kosovo to their countries of origin. What else is in the draft? THE PROPOSED bill also includes a change in sentencing for COVID-19

related crimes – which is expected to reduce the prison population by approximately 250 prison places by 2025. Additionally, a new disciplinary punishment system, along with new models for criminal procedure costs, release strategies, and salaries for prison officers in training, are also proposed. The draft law has now been sent for consultation and is expected to be tabled before the end of April.

DANISH NEWS IN ENGLISH | CPHPOST.DK

More troops deployed

TOURISTS have started to return to Denmark in earnest after two years of staying away due to the pandemic. Of the 785,000 overnight stays registered in January, 174,000 were booked by tourists – three times the number in January last year but still well below the same month in 2020.

FOR THE fifth time, Denmark has deployed soldiers to the NATO mission 'Enhanced Forward Presence' in Estonia. For the next six months, the more than 100 soldiers from the Jydske Dragonregiment will be part of NATO's forward presence in the east. They will form part of a British battalion combat group under an Estonian brigade.

PM in Poland then France

Another Brit charged

PM METTE Frederiksen was in Poland on March 10 before going to France for an informal EU summit. Her visit to NATO Headquarters Multinational Corps North-East (MNC-NE) in Szczecin included a meeting with Danes deployed there. The Paris Summit concerned the current situation in Ukraine and the security and economic consequences.

A THIRD British citizen has been charged with defrauding the Danish treasury – this time for a sum of 320 million kroner. He has links with Salgado Capital, which was used to extract large sums from the Danish treasury between 2012 and 2015. In total, fraudsters used a share dividend refund scheme to defraud the treasury out of 12.7 billion kroner.

NATIONAL THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

25 MARCH - 7 APRIL 2022

DOES AN EASIER CITIZENSHIP PATH ACCELERATE INTEGRATION?

ONLINE THIS WEEK US NAVY

HASSE FERROLD

Two world-leading hospitals

World’s second happiest

DENMARK has two of the top 30 hospitals in the world, according to an annual ranking compiled by Newsweek.com and Statista, which assessed 2,200 hospitals in 27 countries. Leading the way was Aarhus University Hospital in 19th place and Rigshospitalet in 26th. Odense University Hospital and Aalborg Hospital were 95th and 110th respectively.

ACCORDING to the UN’s 2022 World Happiness Report, Denmark remains second in the rankings behind Finland, the rankings leader in each of the last five years. The five Nordic countries all finished in the top eight. Afghanistan finished last.

Løkke looking electable

There's no disguising the genuine enthusiasm of these new Danes

Study compares non-Western immigrants who got a Danish passport in the 1990s to those who didn’t BEN HAMILTON

40 percent of those who did not. Immigrants with a Danish passport were more likely to take further education: 50 percent compared to 29 percent of those without citizenship. Furthermore, those with a passport were more likely to own their homes and have a higher income, while those without were more likely to live in areas with a high population of ethnic minorities. The highest achievers tend to be immigrants from Muslim countries in the Middle East and North Africa, while women are more likely to achieve than men.

people who obtained Danish citizenship in the 1990s. Certainly, on average, they had higher levels of education, employment and income when they applied.

LARS LØKKE Rasmussen’s new centrist party Moderaterne would land 2.2 percent of the national vote were there a general election today, according to Voxmeter. The share would give the party four seats in Parliament. Rasmussen, who received over 40,000 personal votes in the last election, has not yet confirmed who he would support as PM.

Higher achievers AT THE conclusion of the study in 2020, it was found that 58 percent of the immigrants who acquired Danish citizenship in the late 1990s had a job, compared to

Informing opinion IN THE late 1990s it was much easier to become a Danish citizen, and the study has been able to assess, therefore, how much effect becoming a citizen has had on the immigrant’s life. It is helping to inform opinion in Parliament. MPs are asking whether becoming a citizen makes you feel more open to integration, or were you already that way inclined before you applied? However, it could be argued that it was mostly resourceful and integrated

Other concerns ALTHOUGH impressed by the results, Socialdemokratiet spokesperson Lars Aslan Rasmussen does not think it should become much easier for people from non-Western countries to become a Danish citizen. “We can still see that there is a big discrepancy regarding their attitudes to gender and homosexuality. This is a problem in a society like Denmark.” Marcus Knuth, his counterpart at Konservative, recognised the potential of making it easier, in terms of promoting integration, but was worried about the impact on crime. “We can see that we have some nationalities, such as Somalis, Iraqis and Afghans, who commit crimes after they have been granted citizenship. The positive effect for me is completely overshadowed by this – especially the violent crime statistics,” he said.

Tobacco and alcohol action

Fewer sick days

Good work-life balance

Nation’s health in decline

AS PART of a proposed health reform, the government has confirmed its longterm aim is to ban the sale of tobacco to those who were born in 2010 and after, as well as raise the limit to buy alcohol in shops to 18. A recent Sundhedsstyrelsen report rules that alcohol is detrimental to youngsters’ health and the cause of escalating violence and even deaths.

PEOPLE in Denmark take fewer sick days than most other European countries, according to a smallbusinessprices. co.uk study. Denmark had the third lowest number: an average of 8.7 sicks days every year. Israel (3.9) topped the list followed by the UK (4.40). Overall, Denmark bucked the trend, as other countries with strong unions, like Germany, did badly.

DENMARK has the second-best worklife balance in the world, according to Small Business Prices. It benefited from a high happiness score, a short working week (32.5 hours), a decent holiday allowance (25 days) and high average salary. The Netherlands topped the ranking, and Norway, Switzerland and Iceland completed the top five. Sweden ranked 10th.

PEOPLE in Denmark are increasingly anxious, more overweight and exercising less, according to a Sundhedsstyrelsen survey of 180,000 people. Compared to its last report in 2017, the nation’s mental health has suffered – particularly in light of the pandemic – with 17.4 percent struggling, compared to 10 percent five years ago.

IGHT-WING parties have for over two decades been campaigning to make it harder to acquire Danish citizenship. But now a new study suggests the tightening of the criteria might have a negative effect on integration. Research carried out by the BUILD Institute at Aalborg University shows that immigrants from non-Western countries who acquired Danish citizenship in the 1990s tend to be much higher achievers than those who didn’t. For the purpose of the study, 65,000 immigrants living in Denmark in 1995 were split into two groups: those who became citizens between 1995 and 1999, and those who were still non-citizens in 2020.

DANISH NEWS IN ENGLISH | CPHPOST.DK

OAP transport revisions

FROM JULY 1, the necessary age to acquire discounts on public transport will rise to 67. Those who currently have the discount, but won’t have turned 67 by July 1, can keep their discount if they order a personal ‘rejsekort’ travel card with a pensioner discount before then. The next planned increase in pension age is set to take place in 2030. Tackling domestic violence

A NEW INITIATIVE to tackle domestic violence is being rolled out across the entire country following a successful pilot project in the capital that began last year. Lev Uden Vold gave 89 counselling sessions following 124 Copenhagen Police referrals: around 75 percent were victims, 9 percent were perpetrators and 12 percent both victims and perpetrators.

Death threat rise

THE NUMBER of reported death threats doubled between 2015 and 2020 from 2,971 to 5,558, according to the police. The percentage of digital threats over the period rose from 5 to 15. Many death threats occur within families. Death threats carry a maximum sentence of two years in prison, but mostly result in fines. Drug use not as high

SOME 21.2 percent of youths aged 16-24 smoked cannabis in 2017, but this fell to 15.5 percent in 2021, according to the SUSY survey. The pandemic’s nightlife closures and assembly bans also hit the consumption of cocaine (down from 5.5 to 2.9 percent), amphetamines (1.7 to 1.4) and ecstasy (1.9 to 1.2). Corona numbers dwindling

IN GENERAL, corona numbers in Denmark are hovering between 10,000 and 12,000 a day. The Reproduction Rate is currently 0.7. Statens Serum Institut has confirmed that a new variant, a hybrid of Delta and Omicron called Deltacron or Deltamicron, has been detected, but there is no massive concern. Returnable records

THE PANT deposit scheme, which enables shoppers to get money back when they return their cans and bottles, is thriving like never before, reports Dansk Retursystem. In 2021, some 93 percent were returned – the equivalent of 1.9 billion cans and bottles – which is the equal highest ratio in the world alongside Finland. Pro-nuclear parties

IN LIGHT of the need to reduce Denmark’s dependence on Russian gas, Pernille Vermund and Alex Vanopslagh, the leaders of Nye Borgerlige and Liberal Alliance, agree that nuclear plants should be built in Denmark. Vermund recently claimed in Parliament that only 50 people died as a result of the Chernobyl disaster in 1986.

SCIENCE THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

25 MARCH - 7 APRIL 2022

ONLINE THIS WEEK

NORDIC DIET HARD TO BEAT ANNELI SALO

The language of grunts

Antarctica remapped

BY STUDYING audio recordings of pigs’ grunts over their lifespans, an international team of researchers from University of Copenhagen, ETH Zurich and the French research institute INRAE have been able to ‘translate’ them into corresponding emotions. Their algorithm can differentiate positive and negative emotions.

DTU SPACE has contributed to a Danish-British-Norwegian mapping project of geophysical conditions in Antarctica that has revealed that large parts of eastern Antarctica are much younger than previously thought. The discovery points to increased ice-melting in the area. This means the history of continent migration, as we know it, may need to be rewritten.

Crater older than thought

The downside is that some of the healthy stuff is murder to eat with dentures

N RECENT decades, life expectancy levels in the Nordic region have been kept lower than many other developed countries by heavy drinking and smoking - particularly among men. But a new study carried out by the University of Copenhagen suggests Nordics have the means to outlive them all. It concludes that a Nordic diet consisting of berries, vegetables, fish, whole grains, dairy products and rapeseed oil lowers cholesterol and blood sugar levels. Additional benefits include a reduced risk of being overweight, having cardi-

Not just a weight-loss diet "MOST PEOPLE think that the beneficial effects on blood sugar and cholesterol are solely due to weight loss – but we’ve demonstrated that there are other mechanisms at work,” explained researcher Lars Ove Dragsted. Researchers from Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden and Iceland examined blood and urine samples from some 200 people over the age of 50 with elevated BMI and increased risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Participants were monitored over six months, during which half ate a Nordic diet, while the other half ate as usual. The Nordic group was instructed to maintain their starting weight.

Unique fat sources “THE GROUP that was on the Nordic diet for half a year became significantly healthier with lower cholesterol, lower overall content of both saturated and unsaturated fat in the blood and better regulation of blood sugar, compared with the other group. Even without the weight loss we could see an improvement in health,” explains Lars Ove Dragsted. “In the blood of the Nordic diet group, we found different fat-soluble substances to those of the control group. The substances seem to be linked to unsaturated fatty acids in the oils found in the Nordic diet." Fats in the Nordic diet include fish, flaxseed, sunflower and rapeseed. Though the correlation is clear, researchers are yet unable to explain the precise reason these fats lower cholesterol and blood sugar.

MPs approve conversion plans

Epileptic mums less lethal

Shut up Einstein!

TO BECOME a net exporter of green electricity by 2030, MPs have approved a 1.25 billion tender for a power-to-x plant to convert green electricity into hydrogen that can be used as fuel for aircraft, ships and trucks, both home and abroad. However, Dansk Energi contends it will need to quadruple its offshore wind production from 2 to 8 GW to achieve it. In related news, Ørsted will produce green marine fuel to Mærsk’s fleet in the US.

A STUDY by Aarhus University Hospital and Aarhus University has found that increased mortality in children born to women with epilepsy in the first year of life has been declining – to the point it’s no higher than those born to healthy mothers. Still, such children have an increased risk of being born prematurely, having a low birth weight and being born with malformations.

A GROUNDBREAKING study by the University of Copenhagen into how black holes meet and collide has been published in the journal Nature. Astrophysicists analysed the gravitational waves emitted by the collisions, finding that some black holes orbit one another in ellipses rather than circles before colliding. It contradicts Einstein’s theories.

Combo of berries, vegetables, fish, whole grains, dairy products and rapeseed oil shown to lower cholesterol and blood sugar levels, claims study LENA HUNTER

ovascular disease and developing type two diabetes.

DANISH NEWS IN ENGLISH | CPHPOST.DK

NEW LASER analysis methods have allowed researchers at the University of Copenhagen and the Natural History Museum to date the 31 kmwide Hiawatha asteroid crater, buried below Greenland’s ice sheet, at 58 million years old. The jury is still out on whether the asteroid disrupted the global climate, but the new dating should enable further findings. Cure for colitis?

SOME 35,000 Danes suffer from colitis – a disease of the colon that causes pain and fatigue. Due to the stigma, many choose to live with the disease rather than alleviating it with a stoma. Now, researchers at the University of Copenhagen have demonstrated that stem cell transplantation in the colon can cure mice of colitis. Brain of Denmark

OLE KIEHN has scooped the prestigious Brain Prize for his pioneering mapping of the neural networks in the brain and spinal cord that activate and control physical movement. The Brain Prize is the world's largest neuroscience research award and will be presented on May 25 with Crown Prince Frederik in attendance.

What women used to read

SDU RESEARCHER Lucie Duggan has received a grant from the Augustinus Foundation to build up a comprehensive database of the works in Karen Brahe's Library to create an overview of what affluent 17th century women read in an era when a Latin education was reserved for men. In total there are 3,400 printed books and 1,150 manuscripts. Otter appears to be back

AFTER vanishing from north Zealand 60 years ago, evidence is mounting that the otter has returned – most probably after swimming across the Øresund from Sweden. Two recently ended up as roadkill near Nivå and Rågeleje, while another was caught on film near Arresø. Cameras sprayed with odours to attract the otters have been set up in the areas. Eastern ties suspended

DANISH Universities has confirmed a suspension of bilateral, institutional collaborations on research, education and innovation with state entities in Russia and Belarus. This means there will be no exchange of scientific staff or students in the future.

Bipolar digital aid

Top-of-the-range scanner

PSYCHIATRISTS assess the mood of patients with bipolar disorder through conversation and by listening to their voice. And now, according to DTU research, the voice can be used as a ‘digital biomarker’ to allow computers to identify bipolar patients.

HERLEV Hospital has received Denmark's first Photon-Counting CT Scanner – one of just four such advanced scanners in the world. With 16 times higher resolution than a normal CT scanner, doctors can examine micro-bone structures smaller than a hair.

CULTURE THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

25 MARCH - 7 APRIL 2022

DR’S MADE A PÅSKE-KALENDER

ONLINE THIS WEEK DR/ LARS REINHOLDT

Creating a new tradition “FICTION for the whole family is one of the things we at DR will be focusing on in the future, and the tone and content of ‘Det Forsvundne Ravkammers’ fits perfectly,” enthused DR fiction manager Henriette Marienlund. “Easter is a holiday that we want to create new traditions around in terms of gathering together families. The idea of fixed fiction at Easter is an effort that we intend to stick to in the future.” DR is already planning crossovers between the universes of the Easter and Christmas shows, she added.

BEN HAMILTON

T’S BEEN 60 years since DR broadcast the nation’s first ever Julekalender, an annual prime-time festive TV show that gets everybody in the mood for Christmas, so it’s as good a year as any to launch a similar kind of series for Easter. 'Det Forsvundne Ravkammer' will consist of eight episodes, broadcasting at 20:00 on DR1 from April 10-17 (so Palm Sunday until Easter Monday), Indiana Jones vibe and hopes are high it could become a THE SHOW apparently has an Indiana recurring series. Jones vibe as three children search for missing treasure. Don Giovanni

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

They get a lead in a forgotten German bunker from World War II – which is timely, as we’ll all be heading there should World War III break out. Among the cast is Safina Coster-Waldau, the daughter of 'Game of Thrones' star Nikolaj. Will TV2 jump onboard too? WHETHER TV2, which takes it in turn with DR1 to broadcast a brand new Julekalender each year, gets onboard remains to be seen. After all, 'Påske-kalender' is practically a thing already. Who knows? In the same manner that retail has jumped onto festive seasons, so might television. Watch this space for a Valentine’s Day or Halloween family fun series in the near future.

Sonia Delaunay

'FLUGT' may be second favourite to win the Oscars for best documentary and best animated film on March 27, but its chances are thought to be slim following its failure to land either of those awards at the BAFTAs. The favourites in each category are heavily odds-on, as is Japanese film ‘Drive My Car’, the favourite to win the Oscar for Best International Film.

IRISH comedian Dara O Briain, the host of the hugely popular UK series ‘Mock the Week’, is returning to Copenhagen to perform at DR Koncerthuset on June 15. He will be performing his ‘So, Where Were We?’ show. Tickets cost 295 kroner via koncerthuset.dk. Meanwhile, British comic Alan Carr will be playing the same venue on October 25 (tickets 375 kroner).

Minister not impressed

DR compensation derided

LENE ESPERSEN, the only female foreign minister, has rubbished aspects of the fourth season of ‘Borgen’, in which the central character Birgitte Nyborg holds the same position. One of Espersen’s predecessors, Martin Lidegaard, was consulted to ensure it was realistic. Espersen held the job when the very first episode aired in 2010.

KVINFO head Henriette Laursen has criticised the small compensatory amount paid by DR to 22 former members of its girls' choir in relation to the abusive behaviour they were subjected to whilst members. The members received 25,000 kroner each. The abuse, which came to light last year, took place before 2010.

ONLY 10 percent of the royalties overseen by Koda in 2021 went to female musicians, according to a report by DR and Bandakademiet, which interviewed 75 women in the Danish music industry and now has ten suggestions for addressing the gender imbalance. The matter will be discussed at a meeting on March 25 at DR Koncerthuset.

Eurovision hopes written off

Focus on ticketed areas

MUSIC experts and bookmakers wrote off Reddi’s hopes of winning Eurovision after the all-girl band, made up of two Danes and two Swedes, won the Dansk Melodi Grand Prix on March 5 with their song ‘The Show’. The bookies rate them a 100/1 chance. The Eurovision semis will take place on May 10 and 12, and the final on May 14.

DISTORTION X, the annual street party festival, will this year focus on ticketed areas. The free party in Nørrebro has been scrapped, and a smaller one will take place in Vesterbro on June 2. Ticketed areas on June 1 are planned in Langebro and Rådhuspladsen, and on June 2 in Vesterbro and Rådhuspladsen. Entry costs 200 kroner per area, and the age limit is 18.

Die Walküre KGLTEATER.DK/CAMILLA WINTHER

THAT THEATRE COMPANY

THEATRE

Gender imbalance focus

TOM JONES, 50 Cent, Aqua, Mø, Dizzy Mizz Lizzy, L.O.C and Malk De Koijn are among the acts confirmed for the 2022 Tivoli Fredagsrock program, which kicks off on April 8. Purchasing access to Tivoli grants you entrance to the concerts, but tickets are needed for inner-circle access.

Rub-A-Dub-Dub

LOUISIANA

CTC

KGLTEATER.DK/CAMILLA WINTHER

OPERA

Dara O Briain on his way

Ready to rock again

This game of Rock Paper Scissors was always going to end with Jesus dying

Not content with cornering the feel-good family market at Christmas, the national broadcaster is going after the Easter crowd

Oscar chances miniscule

ART

THEATRE

OPERA

««««¶¶

«««««¶

THE PRESENTATION was not flawless, but the audience seemed to enjoy it from the start, and that's what matters, right? A luxury hotel with disturbing employees provided a modern setting, but there's no doubt the story was still the classic opera Mozart wrote. The casting choices were spot on. Palle Kundsen's charisma perfectly suited Don Giovanni's character, while Kyungil Ko as Léporello demonstrated his impressive ability to sing regardless of where he might be standing, sitting or lying – in one case flat on his belly – and fighting. (AD)

FORGET the classic cartoon, this 'Snow White' is for those who live in 2022. Kristian Husted, the director, largely succeeds with his bid to un-Disneyfy the tale, as this couldn't be more removed from the 1930s production. The British-style panto delivers a tale known by most with a 21st century twist, an eager-to-please troupe, some good music choices and crowd-pleasing choreography. It brought out my inner-child, although you certainly don't need to be a minor (or proud miner) to enjoy this classic rendition of 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'. (AD)

THE CHRONOLOGICAL staging of the Sonia Delaunay exhibition at Louisiana (which runs until June 12) profiling her contribution to 20th century art and fashion lends itself to highlighting the astounding prescience of her work. In the same way important playwrights have always been ten years ahead of the game, so too was Delaunay, a visionary whose adult life more or less bookmarked the century. Through the way her work is presented in the exhibition, the decades to come are gradually coming into focus, and the curator should be applauded for that. (BH)

OVERALL, this was top notch team-work: as solid an ensemble as That Theatre has ever presented, with humour as dark as an eclipse on Pluto. Depicting a reunion between three middle-aged friends, if there is a standout it is Dawn Wall as SiSi, the replicant-Siri: in short, she makes us believe in the future in which the play is set. Go and watch this play if you want dark humour at its best, or food for thought to mull over on your next cycle home. Go and watch this play if during these dark times you’re rooting for humanity. Go and watch this play if you love theatre. (BH)

AFTER an almost ten-year hiatus, the iconic work of German opera legend Richard Wagner is back on Danish soil – until March 27. ‘Die Walküre’ (five hours with intervals) is a rich tapestry of human emotion and divine drama for which only the grandest venue will do. Happily, the exquisite canal-side Opera House is a fitting stage. And seeing it in Scandinavia, where the myths and legends that inspired it originated, is a rare treat. So, whether you love Wagner, love ‘Apocalypse Now’ or just love a spectacle – go and see ‘Die Walküre’. (LH)

DANISH NEWS IN ENGLISH | CPHPOST.DK

SPORT THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

25 MARCH - 7 APRIL 2022

HALLOWED SON JOINS SUNS

ONLINE THIS WEEK BRENTFORD FC

GRANADA

Gabriel ‘Iffe’ Lundberg first Dane in history to join a NBA side CHRISTIAN WENANDE

ORE AND more Danes are making the transition to top professional sports leagues in the US: most notably ice hockey and US football. Danes have been a mainstay in the NHL for years now, and Hjalte Froholdt recently became the first Dane to make his debut in the NFL since 1982. Understandably, baseball remains out of their reach, but the same is no longer true of the nation’s hoop dreams. In the entire history of the NBA, no Dane had ever been signed to one of its teams. Until now.

Hoop dreams come true GABRIEL ‘Iffe’ Lundberg made Danish basketball history over the weekend of March 12-13 when he was signed to the roster of the Phoenix Suns. The 1.93m guard had left Russian giants CSKA Moscow following the outbreak of the war in Ukraine and was snapped up by the Suns on Saturday. The 27-year-old has signed a contract for the remainder of the current season, according to ESPN. With 53 wins and 14 losses, Phoenix has the best record in the NBA so far this season.

Christian Eriksen Eriksen returns

Pedigree intact

CHRISTIAN Eriksen has been recalled to the Danish squad for friendlies against the Netherlands and Serbia after impressing in recent games for Brentford. The games will take place on March 26 in the Netherlands and March 29 at Parken – a no doubt emotional return for the Dane to the scene of his cardiac arrest in June 2021.

JONAS Vingegaard has continued his mercurial rise in cycling with yet another solid result: a podium finish in the Tirreno-Adriatico race. He finished runner-up in the seven-stage race thanks to second place finishes on stages four and six. In the same race, compatriot Magnus Cort broke his collarbone in a crash and faces a lengthy break.

Now that’s a consolation!

Nothing Iffe about his credentials

A natural progression IT’S WELL-TIMED as basketball has been steadily increasing in popularity in Den-

mark over the last couple of decades: both with armchair fans and youngsters. After all, the average height of Danish men is 180.4 cm (compared to 175.4 in the US) – a vital component in producing the top-quality players these days. Not least, highly rated series like ‘The Last Dance’ on Netflix and ‘Winning Time:

The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty’, which is currently screening on HBO Nordic, are introducing the joys of the game to legions of new fans in Denmark. And soon, no doubt, the Danes will have a documentary about one of their own to enjoy: the first dance of many, they hope.

That ends Wells!

Mags back in F1

Back at the Opera

CLARA Tauson and Holger Rune were both knocked out of Indian Wells in the last 32 in close defeats to stiff opposition. Tauson fell 7-6, 2-6, 1-6 to Polish world number four Iga Swiatek and Holger Rune lost 3-6, 6-4, 4-6 to Italian world number six Matteo Berrettini. In other news, Caroline Wozniacki has been working as a TV pundit for US networks covering Indian Wells and the Miami Open.

FORMULA 1 racing outfit Haas has re-signed Kevin Magnussen for the upcoming season following the dismissal of Russian driver Nikita Mazepin in the wake of the war in Ukraine. Mags, who made his F1 debut in 2014 with McLaren, will team up with Mick Schumacher, the son of F1 legend Michael. The Dane raced for Haas for four years from 2017-2020.

THE RED Bull Cliff Diving event is returning to the roof of the Copenhagen Opera House this summer for the first time since 2018. It will take place on July 16. Access is free for the public as the divers twist and turn their way 27 metres into the city harbour, hitting the water at speeds up to 85 km/h. This year, there are contests for both men and women.

MAURITS Kjærgaard became the youngest Danish goalscorer in Champions League history at 18 years, eight months and ten days when he scored for RB Salzburg in their 1-7 loss to Bayern Munich. However, Gert Jørgensen was 18 years, seven months and ten days when he bagged a goal for Brøndby against Budapesti Honvéd in the UCL predecessor, the European Cup, in 1986. FCK knocked out

DANISH NEWS IN ENGLISH | CPHPOST.DK

PSV LAST week knocked FC Copenhagen out of the Conference League in their last-16 clash. A week earlier, FCK took a 3-1 lead in Eindhoven, only to be held to a 4-4 draw, after 86 of their fans were arrested by Eindhoven police. And then at Parken, the Lions capitulated, losing 0-4. FCK’s failure means Denmark has missed out on a top-15 spot in the UEFA coefficient rankings.

Ladies qualify for Euros

DENMARK’S handball ladies have qualified for Euro 2022 with two games to spare by beating Romania home and away. They had already beaten Austria and the Faroe Islands. The tournament (November 4-20) will be co-hosted by Slovenia, North Macedonia and Montenegro. Nanna makes history

NANNA Koerstz Madsen has made Danish golfing history by becoming the first Dane to win an LPGA tournament. The 27-year-old from Smørum won the Honda LGPA Classic in Thailand following a tense playoff against China’s Xiyu Lin. No Dane has ever won a tournament on the men’s PGA Tour. Linked to Barca move

CHELSEA defender Andreas Christensen, 25, is tipped for a move to Barcelona. His contract is set to expire this summer and he is mulling a five-year contract with the Catalan giants, where he would link up with Martin Braithwaite, a fellow Dane.

BUSINESS THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

25 MARCH - 7 APRIL 2022

SUCCESSFUL 2021 PASSES BATON TO MORE SOBER 2022

ONLINE THIS WEEK PIXABAY

Depends on where

More record profits

PROPERTY became more expensive in 2021 – but there were differences depending on what type of home. North Zealand and the Capital Region saw the biggest increase in apartment prices. With a 16.9 percent rise, Bornholm saw the largest jump for a family home. And holiday homes rose by 14.5 percent in general.

ANOTHER group of large Danish companies have confirmed record profits and turnover for 2021: Lego (13.3 billion on 55.3 billion kroner), Danfoss (4.7 billion on 56.1 billion), and Rambøll (849 million 14.2 billion). Lego and Danfoss cited the success of their green direction.

Electric cars cheaper

SINCE January 1, it has become more expensive to buy a plug-in hybrid car and people are accordingly favouring electric cars. In February, for the second month in a row, more electric cars than plug-in hybrids were sold. Elgiganten’s greener goal

ELGIGANTEN is now working with the international certification company EcoVadis to focus on sustainability. Half of Elgiganten's turnover is derived from products delivered by suppliers that are EcoVadis-certified. Mortgage restructuring frenzy

The future has been less clear since the start of the war in Ukraine

Record highs for inflation and average import prices do not bode well for cost of living

turing (20.2), chemical and petroleum refining (18.7) and transportation equipment (16.7).

ARMELLE DELMELLE

Pharma gap THE BIGGEST mover in recent times has been the pharmaceutical industry, which has grown by 251.5 percent since 2008. But while it has a turnover share of 16.6 percent, it only accounts for 8.3 percent of employment. At the end of the spectrum was the metal industry, which accounted for 6.4 percent of industry turnover and 12.4 percent of employment.

FTER A small dip in 2020, Danish industrial output rose to 925 billion kroner in 2021 – an increase of 78 billion kroner. Lego, Danfoss and Rambøll are just three of many major Danish companies to recently announce record profits for the year (see below). Turnover increased across all industry groups, with machinery, food and beverages, and tobacco leading the way. Together they accounted for 41.6 percent of the total turnover and 37.2 percent of industrial employment. The largest increases were in the extraction of raw materials (up 20.9 percent), furniture and other manufac-

2022 less rosy HOWEVER, 2022 won’t be as rosy as it has become significantly more expensive for Danish companies to buy goods from abroad. According to Danmarks Statistik,

between February 2021 and February 2022, average import prices for goods rose by 17.4 percent - the largest increase measured in one year. Producers are also experiencing price increases – up 31 percent over the year. Tore Stramer, the chief economist at Dansk Industri, expects prices to continue rising in the coming months because of the war in Ukraine, which has triggered large price increases for energy and a number of raw materials. Inflation sky high INFLATION rates are already sky-high. They stood at 4.9 percent in January 2022 compared to 3.4 percent in December 2021 – the highest rise in history of the EU HICP, which started in 1997. The average rate in Europe is 5.6 percent (up from 5.3).

DANISH NEWS IN ENGLISH | CPHPOST.DK

ACCORDING to Finans Danmark, rising interest rates prompted even more people to restructure their mortgages in February – up 42.5 percent on January. In related news, there were 22,447 homes for sale in early March, according to Boligsiden – the lowest since it started collecting data in 2010.

Fewer cash recipients

THE NUMBER of cash assistance recipients is at its lowest level since January 2007, according to Danmarks Statistik. In August 2015 the number peaked at 175,100, but today it is 95,400 following a fall of 4,900 during the fourth quarter of 2021. Harder for fraudsters

INSURERS are getting better at detecting fraudsters, according to F&P. In 2020, the number of detected cases rose by 41 percent – partly thanks to improved IT detection tools. An Epinion survey recently found that 98 percent of the public disapproved of insurance fraud. SAS needs price hike

SAS WILL need to raise fares by more than 10 percent on 2019 prices to compensate for rising fuel price rises, according to analysts who predict passenger numbers will fall from 30 to 21-24 million once the 2021-22 fiscal year comes to an end.

Wolt delivering groceries

Crypto exchange launch

SUPERMARKET goods delivery service Wolt Market, which opened its first location in Aalborg last November, has opened up at Enghavevej 8C in Vesterbro from where it will service clients within a 5km radius. Customers can choose from 2,000 goods and expect them within 30 minutes. Wolt Market wants to open another 15 locations this year.

THE NORWEGIAN cryptocurrency exchange Firi has confirmed plans to launch in Denmark this summer. It has more than 140,000 customers in Norway. Diesel overtakes petrol

AS OF MARCH 16, a litre of diesel (17.59 kroner) cost more than a litre of petrol (17.29 kroner) for the first time since 2006.

BUSINESS OPINION THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

25 MARCH - 7 APRIL 2022

STEEN VIVE 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.

COVID-19 disruption COVID-19 was a disruptive force. It provided an opportunity to organise ourselves more flexibly. This is not merely a matter of

BIRGITTE WÄRN STRESS WÄRNINGS Birgitte is an expert within the field of communication, stress management and conflict solving. She has more than 20 years of experience in teaching and helping companies to achieve a better work environment. She is the author of a series of handbooks called ‘The Little Guide’. See birgittewarn.dk for more information.

Disaster thoughts WORRYING and having ‘disaster thoughts’ can be both the causes of stress and symptoms of stress itself. Often the disaster thoughts are unconscious or vaguely articulated, such as: “It will all fall apart, if I don’t make it on time.” Or: “It’s never going to end well.” The problem with such thoughts is that we are often not aware of them, despite the fact that they control how we act and, to some extent, also the biochemical processes in our bodies, including physical

whether we can work from home sometimes. Keep in mind that organisations structure themselves to address the tasks to be solved, and that a flexible organisation is not the same as a borderless organisation. The boundaries or necessities to be borne in mind when we organise ourselves will differ from company to company. The nature of the tasks may require some personnel to be in the office from nine o’clock until three, while others need not. Our jobs and functions differ, and the organisation must take this into account. Let us experiment THE PANDEMIC enabled us to try out new structures and pro- "Clocking off at 12 again? Well, it's Friday in Denmark" cesses, including working from short periods of time. Then we weeks. But I expect that my kids, home. Our processes and tasks evaluate, adjust and experiment when they enter the job market need not be reinvented. Instead, further. in maybe 10 years’ time, will laugh we should experiment on arrangWe tend to fall back into the at the thought that everyone in ing ourselves. Making changes ways in which we have always their parents’ generation set off requires an experimental frame done things. Otherwise, we would for work at the same time, every of mind with trials that run for by now be working 15-hour single day …

stress reactions. For example, try to feel the difference in your bodily reactions between thinking “It is never going to end well” and “Of course this is going to work out!” In other words, it may be important to identify what thoughts we have – especially when we suffer from stress. Try this exercise! TRY TO think of one of your biggest stressors. Notice what negative thoughts come up and write them down. Then ask yourself the following questions: As specifically as possible, what is the worst that can happen? What is the likelihood (as a percentage) of that happening? What can you do, if the worst really happened? Face the monster THIS EXERCISE demonstrates that disaster thoughts often become smaller and more manageable, when they are fleshed out. The

PIXABAY

N MY LAST column I addressed the importance of being able to say no to tasks in order to conquer stress, and I presented a simple template for a constructive refusal. In this column I will focus on ‘the Monkey Mind’ – our tendency to worry – and I will present a simple self-coaching technique for addressing and controlling your disaster thoughts.

PIXABAY

N 1930 THE BRITISH economist John M Keynes predicted that technological development, in time, would make us so much more productive that the working week would be reduced to 15 hours. We are still not there. If his prophecy is to come true, there must be a fundamental change in the way we work. Keynes’ prediction of technological development was accurate. Unfortunately, the ways in which we co-operate and organise work have not changed. With industrialisation, we began to count working hours. It became normal to arrive at factories and offices at fixed times of day, and still is. But society has changed, and we have technologies that enable us to change how we work.

He should never have agreed to working with real monkeys

(often) unlikely nature of them becomes clearer. The aim is to draft a plan for what you could do, if in fact the worst really happened – whether your fears are realistic or not. That exercise can in itself make it less terrifying because the plan allows you to regain a sense of

mastery. In other words, you get to “look the monster in the eye” and often discover that it is not quite as dangerous as you first imagined it to be. The exercise is from my latest book ‘The little guide to an almost stress-free life’. Take good care of yourself and your ‘monkey mind’.

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25 MARCH - 7 APRIL 2022

PUT IN A CORNER

R PUTIN is about to paint himself into a corner. After 28 days of warfare, he has won little ground but stirred a hornet’s nest of rage across most of the world.

Already seems doomed MILLIONS of children and their mothers have sought safety while the men have stayed home to defend their country. With the sympathy of the Western World on their side – military hardware continues to come in droves – the Ukrainians are holding ground. Russian losses are meanwhile growing. Putin thought it would be a Blitzkrieg. But instead he’s lost hearts and minds before winning them over. It’s dawning on him that he can’t win against a population-in-arms with unlimited space at their disposal. The yellow cornfields under the blue sky depicted in Ukraine’s national flag remains a realistically optimistic picture of their future. Refugees: from foes to friends THE DANISH political focus has changed 180 degrees. All the parties are head-over-heels with becoming refugee-friendly and welcoming tens of thousands of Ukrainian refugees – mainly mothers and children – and giving them hitherto uniquely favourable treatment. It’s certainly not the treatment given to the Afghan evacuees and the Syrian-Danish children remaining in the Middle East! The Danish public has become more NATO and EU-friendly than ever before. Even Enhedslisten, despite the old-timer communists claiming they are still against NATO, don't want to leave right now. The PM has got the necessary support to increase the defence budget to 2 percent of GDP – welcome news as the recent aid for the Ukrainians was hard to find under the current terms. Funny to think that Donald Trump got his way in the end, even though the hike came two years after he demanded more defence spending. What he thinks

MRUTYUANJAI MISHRA

about Germany sending arms to the Ukrainians is anyone’s guess. And that might not be the end of the spending. A referendum in June could do away with the Danish reservation that has kept its EU defence expenditure so low. Most polls indicate it will fail, though. Still the key to peace THE REPERCUSSIONS of the sanctions imposed on Russia are that European countries, such as Denmark, must end their dependency on Russian gas and switch to renewables much faster than was thought possible. So Putin is in fact doing the climate a big favour! What becomes of Russia after the Ukrainian war remains to be seen. Since 1991 we have learned to like the Russians. We have travelled there, and we admire Russian culture, and that will not change overnight. But we have learned Russia still has an autocratic soul and that the people love Putin – or at least the majority. Big lies are hard to maintain and Russian youths are fleeing the country – partly because they are ashamed, and partly because they do not want to be drafted into military service. All of this is putting Putin in a corner, and we simply do not know how he will react. It is up to the Ukrainian president to come up with a solution, as currently he sits with the winning hand. Let’s hope he does not overplay it. The same goes for NATO and the EU. There will be no peace without Russia and Ukraine at the table, and it can’t be achieved without Putin fully involved.

Mishra’s Mishmash As a regular contributor to the Times of India, the country’s largest newspaper, Mishra is often sought-after 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.

INCE THE war broke out in Ukraine on 24 February, Danish newspapers have been busy playing the blame game. The country of Russia is responsible for the fully-fledged humanitarian crisis at the EU's door. Nobody else. It enheartens them to say so. Peace activists all over the world are doing their best to warn that this international crisis has the potential to become a new Cold War or even World War III, so we should of course push for a diplomatic solution. But no, Denmark is officially not interested in such a proposition. Their war-mongering media and politicians have seen to it. Follow your shepherd FOR THE first time since the creation of the European Union, not only is war at its very door, but it is happening very close to the Nordic bloc, sparking debates regarding preparedness or the lack of it. Perhaps the best illustration of how the warmongering and war fever have become so frenzied is the viral photo of the Danish prime minister signing an agreement to increase defence spending by 18 billion kroner every year.

She was pictured in view of the leaders of the other major political parties – Venstre, Konservative, Radikale and SF – all standing in a queue like sheep following a shepherd, rather than the independent thinkers their electorate would hope they are. Had enough of ‘Imagine’! ON TOP of that, two heavy-hitters – Søren Pind, a four-time Venstre minister under Lars Løkke Ramussen, and Henrik Sass Larsen from Socialdemokratiet, who served under Helle Thorning-Schmidt as the business minister – have along with Weekendavisen journalist Anna Libak formed an organisation called the Danish Ukraine Committee, which has publicly declared its main purpose of existence is to collect funds to send weapons to Ukraine. Who would have even imagined that a former higher education minister (Pind) would publicly denounce John Lennon’s song ‘Imagine’ by saying that we have been singing it way too long? Left the station quickly EVEN BEFORE the war broke out, the government announced that Denmark

Ejvind Sandal

It's been a while since we heard Danish battle cries this loud. Not since 1864, surely?

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would permit the troops of the United States to be stationed here without even wanting to discuss or debate the issue in Parliament. It was considered enough to arrange a press conference and declare the decision, even though this was breaking the tradition of acting as an independent country in which such decisions are discussed and debated before an agreement is concluded. Forget the other plans HISTORY has shown us time and time again that war-mongering always results in major budget diversions. Conflicts require huge amounts of money, so it’s goodbye to the plans to expand welfare. Even the most left-leaning party, Enhedslisten, which has always opposed wars, and never agreed to the idea of joining NATO, has approved the bill by Parliament to supply weapons to the government of Ukraine. The imperative question is how can a peaceful Nordic country – which promotes peace, human rights and universal welfare for all its citizens – end up becoming such a fervent warmonger.

OPINION THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

25 MARCH - 7 APRIL 2022

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JACK GARDNER VAA

Englishman in Nyhavn

Mackindergarten ADRIAN MACKINDER

Jack escaped Brexit Britain in October 2019 to forge a new life in Copenhagen. In this column, he outlines the challenges expats face when integrating into Danish life. Jack (jacksgard@gmail.com) co-hosts the comedy podcast ‘Butterflies on the Wheel’, which is available on all major podcasting platforms

HEN I FIRST moved to Denmark over two years ago, I was convinced I’d encounter a country whose inhabitants did everything better. Sense vs nonsense AND FOR the most part, I was right. (God I’m getting tired of saying that.) Us Brits had just been on a decade-long gallivant to spectacularly annihilate everything that made living in the UK fun, with tragedies like Brexit and Boris Johnson acting as shit beacons on our crusade to catastrophe. Danes, by contrast, appeared sensible. A willingness to contribute to a cradle-to-grave welfare state, rather than a capitalistic corpocracy fever dream? Ja tak. A healthy disrespect of America, as opposed to some strange, fervent desperation to replicate its most broken political and social institutions? Selvfølgelig. Wanting to drive in a manner that doesn’t endanger every single living soul within a 40-mile radius? Well now… Bumper to bumper I’VE BEEN driving in Denmark since my arrival, due principally to need, but also inspired by my phobia of ozone layers. And, although it took time, with every passing day I have to admit … I am nowhere closer to understanding why (the fuck) Danes are so goddamn mental whenever they get behind a wheel.

It costs around 25,000 kroner and four months to learn to drive in Denmark. I cannot be sure what they teach in these horrendously overpriced places, but I can only assume it includes at least seven hours of driving as close to the rear of the car in front of you as physically possible. Bonuses are apparently handed out if said car in front belongs to one Jack Gardner Vaa of Københavns Kommune. Motorway madness A FURTHER module presumably exists on perfecting the art of driving on a MOTORWAY while looking directly down and texting on your phone, swerving through lanes of traffic with gay abandon, as I saw most recently only yesterday. “Oh, Jack,” you say. “That’s just one bad experience, just steer clear of new, stupid, young drivers like that.” Cheers, prick, but this was a 50-yearold businessman in a brand new Jeep. I’m not saying he’s smart, I’m just pointing out that the plague of appalling Danish driving transcends all demographics and stereotypes. It would be almost heart-warming, if only it didn’t involve a two-tonne metal bullet careering into me at uncontrollable speeds. Always a good indicator WHILE I have the presumed attention of Danish driving schools, if you could

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find it in your hearts to look up the word ‘indicate’ and then marry some meaning between that definition and the little stick protruding out of your steering wheel? Currently, I believe you have been teaching… let me just check the statistics here… oh yes, every SINGLE Danish driver, that this stick is something to be feared. That it must not even be looked at with the naked Scandinavian eye, such is its mysterious, devastating power.

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Ruin Paul’s drag race? No! FINALLY, the authorities. You have done honestly such a wonderful job of fining me 510 kroner that time I parked my car 8.42 metres away from a corner rather than 10 metres. I just have two tiny notes. One, I’m delighted you managed to avoid getting caught up in those nightly drag races that take place on my street. The second is that you could park not-one-but-two Peugeots in the gap I left between my car and the corner, with less difficulty than it took you to write out the ticket, you absolute fascists. I realise as I finish writing this that I have become everything I’ve ever hated: an angry white man complaining about traffic. Thank you, Denmark. Might as well lean in. I’m off to download the back catalogue of ‘Top Gear’ to watch on my phone as I drive to Esbjerg.

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LIFESTYLE: DATING THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

25 MARCH - 7 APRIL 2022

MAROUA SAJEB DATING THE DANES Maroua (marouasajeb.com) is a dating coach who helps women attract great men with meaningful romantic connections. Maroua is hosting monthly dating events for ladies who are tired of the dating apps and want to date the organic way. Join her supportive environment where you can practise approaching guys and push your comfort zone. Connect and say ‘Hi!’ via facebook.com/maroua.saj.

NLINE dating apps … we hate them, yet we can’t live without them.

Caught in a circle THE DAY you download and start using the app often yields results: whether it’s a few chats or even some actual dates. But inevitably you get disappointed, and in one click you’re off the app again. Forgotten. Then some bright Sunday morning, walking down the street you see a happy couple, and suddenly a dark cloud shatters your day, as you can’t help but think: ‘Why can't it be me?’ So, you get the boyfriend rash and next thing you know: you are back on the apps, hoping that this time you will hit the jackpot. Only works for certain types HOPE ONLY gets you so far. Because if you don’t change your approach and mindset, you’re only going to get the same results. The familiar story for women on dating apps is that it’s hard to separate the good guys from the bad ones. Everyone’s been on boring dates or maybe even been ghosted or received unsolicited

pictures or, heck, even been swindled. Take my friend Mia. She matched with a guy on Tinder and had a crazy crush on him. He checked all of her ‘dream man’ boxes: handsome, smart, funny, tall, great job, wanted to have kids someday etc. She was sending me screenshots of his pictures and his irresistibly cute texts. All sounded good to my ears except a tiny not so tiny detail: they never met! They were texting for weeks and my friend’s feelings were growing exponentially by the hour – along with my worries for her. She kept telling me he’s busy with a project and can’t meet right now. I kept telling her: ‘A man who’s interested will make time for you’. She didn’t like my words and so she stopped bringing him up in our conversations. One day, I got a message from Mia: ‘He unmatched me and he’s not answering my texts.' I am not condemning the dating apps, as they do serve a purpose. If you have an unlimited amount of DETERMINATION, an unshakable CONFIDENCE and crystal-clear CLARITY of your love life, they can work just fine. However, I don’t think they are designed to help you find your ‘happy ever after’. Instead,

they are designed to keep you highly frustrated by them. Happenings over app-enings NOW, IF online dating hasn't killed your hopes of finding great guys or pushed you to join the 'Singles on Purpose' communities, I'm thrilled to tell you that you can 100 percent date outside of the dating apps Yes! Even when you live in Copenhagen and where men are not taking the initiative to approach you. You can take matters into your own hands and create your own dating opportunities. For that, you need social momentum, belief in yourself that grows through practice and a few know-hows to start a conversation with anyone. Cast your shyness aside STILL with me? Good. Let’s look at the potential stories you tell yourself as to why, not in a million years, you will start approaching guys. You could be telling yourself: “I am super shy, I can barely look at a cute guy for two seconds.” You do not need to be an extrovert, to approach and talk to guys. All you need is a smile, a friendly welcoming attitude and rejection-free icebreakers. People are hungry more than ever for genuine human connections – especially after the COVID isolation. The other day, I shared an elevator ride with a girl. She was wearing a massive pearl ring! I couldn’t help but say: “Wow! That's an impressive ring.” She gave me a big smile and ended up telling me a little story about the ring. It was a sweet moment we shared that enriched my day and lightened up hers. This is just a simple example, but it can be done in different ways. Guys love being approached GUYS CAN be approached in the same way. People love to be approached if you know how a good approach can make them feel.

You might think: ‘It will look desperate, approaching a guy’. But guys will absolutely love it if you take the initiative and give them the green light to talk to you. Women who approach are tapping into an easy and unused opportunity. It might be a double standard, but women are almost never labelled as being ‘creepy’ when approaching someone, contrary to men, so help them and you will be doing a favour to everyone. I was standing in a neverending line the other day and got into a nice convo with the girl behind me. She was waiting for her boyfriend to arrive, so I asked her one of my favourite ever questions: ‘How did you two meet?’ Very proud, she told me her story. She went to the dentist, entered the waiting room and spotted him right away. The waiting room was big, but her interest in him was even bigger. She walked all the way to the end of the room and sat one seat away from him. She smiled and said ‘Hi!’. That’s it! A smart woman that went for what she wanted by getting close and starting a chat. Remember: 'you choose the man' FROM A purely evolutionary perspective, we need to be active and selective about our mate, because as women, we pay a far greater reproductive cost by making the wrong choice. We are the ones who get pregnant and we are the ones who get to nurture the offspring for the years ahead (most of the time). As a woman, you need to shift your outlook from the romantic movies, which tell you to sit and wait to be picked up, to approaching and talking to the guy YOU want. Ultimately you choose your man. But being the one who chooses doesn't mean that you need to be aggressive about it. That is not feminine, nor attractive. It is your attitude and the things you say that can make or break your approach. So let me ask you this: Which of these pains would you rather live by: the pain of rejection or the pain of regret? PIXABAY

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LIFESTYLE: KIDS THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

25 MARCH - 7 APRIL 2022 PIXABAY

KATE MONTEATH COPEN' WITH THE KIDS A former kids radio host and now head of content for a leading family activity guide, Kate is back in DK with her backpack full to the brim of experiences. With her basecamp set up in Copenhagen along with hubby and son, she is on the topsy-turvy journey of what you call parenting. Follow her on Instagram @katemonteath

OOKING at the state of the world today, it would be no surprise for any parent to feel a little anxious (read bonkers) from time to time. Not only are we tasked with the daily challenge of keeping our little ones happy and healthy, but we do all of this under the invisible yet heavy cloak of uncertainty and trepidation, knowing what is going on a few blocks down in Europe. So perhaps to minimise the gloom that some of us parents may feel, what we families need the most is to eliminate distractions that cloud our perspective of things that matter the most to us. Pin down what’s important HAVE A think about your dreams, values and goals for yourself and your family as a whole. Then map out your life accordingly and leave room for adjustments. A good (and perhaps slightly morbid) way of finding out what is important to you is asking yourself: “How would I live my life if I only had a short time left?” Limit your commitments LEARN to set boundaries and say no to excessive work schedules, meet-ups or other commitments that don't contribute to the things you value. This also includes activities that we may like to do but are proving to be more of a hassle than enjoyment at this given time. Limit extracurricular activities JUST AS you need to simplify your own commitments, the same goes for your kid. Say yes to activities that foster your child’s life skills and no to the ones that don’t. ECAs should be a way to discover your child’s passions and not just be a placeholder for time.

Get outside MARCH brought us the gift of splendid weather and it is time to feel the breeze and soak up some vitamin D. Try to spend at least an hour every week outdoors. Enjoy the sunrise. Walk a dog. Stroll along the harbour. Chase a butterfly. Turn down the noise THIS ONE may be one of the more difficult things for us to do with our neverending to-do list in this age of insta-stimulation. But a great way to refocus and declutter your mind is to take just a few minutes a day for some peace and solitude. Put your phone away, find a quiet space in your home – bedroom, bathroom, balcony – and catch just 10 minutes of meditation, self-reflection, me-time or whatever you want to call it. Limit material possessions THE CONSTANT talk of inflation and unstable financial markets is more than enough for us to want to hold on to our purse strings – and rightly so. Try your best to live within your means – or even under if you have a goal you want to save for. Reduce clutter in your home by donating to charity or selling your pre-loved items at a second-hand store. Create memorable moments FILL UP your memory bank with a plethora of enriched family moments. Explore together. Play together. Laugh together. Cry together. Learn together. Eat together. Read together. Travel together. In the end, these are the moments that shape our relationship with our children and strengthen our bonds. Living consciously and purposefully is not always the easiest thing for us parents to do.

Our daily-grind-auto-pilot-mode can be quite prevalent at times as we all ‘do what we gotta do’. But sometimes it can do wonders to just take

a step back to reflect on and re-evaluate what is most important for yourself and your family.

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25 MARCH - 7 APRIL 2022

LUKA PEREHINETS

S THE WORLD scrambles to give its undivided attention to Ukraine and its people, Putin's assault on European democracy carries on. On March 16, I took a break from schoolwork to watch the speech President Zelensky made in his address to the US Congress. As he finished his speech, a video was shown depicting the damage done to the country – namely, the extreme destruction of residential buildings, deliberate targeting of schools and hospitals by missile strikes, thousands dead and millions fleeing – and the response of the audience was heavy in tears.

Tears good, actions better WHILE Putin’s Napoleon complex soars, the cultural heritage of Ukraine and, indeed, Ukrainian identity at large, are under threat. The children of Ukraine no longer require alarm clocks to wake up for school – that is, if their schools are even standing still. Or if they’re even able to get to their schools safely. As my cousins report on life in the middle of

Luka is an 18-year old Ukrainian student living in Copenhagen who studies at the Copenhagen International School in pursuit of a degree in neuroscience. Over the last 18 years, he’s lived in four different countries: the United States, Russia, Ukraine and Denmark. In 2017 his family moved from Kyiv to Copenhagen due to his father’s employment at the World Health Organization. Luka has a younger brother and an older sister, who studies history and politics at the University of Edinburgh. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his family and engaging in an in-depth analysis of scientific journals regarding the nervous system as well as a variety of sports. With a rich knowledge of Ukrainian history, Luka has been able to analyse the current events in Ukraine from a wider perspective. a war zone, the uncertainty of their future has never been greater, and this poses a question: what’s next? As a kid, you grow up dreaming about the future, what it holds, and the opportunities ahead of you. Yet that has been taken away from the children of Ukraine, some of whom are now wearing military-grade bulletproof vests, while others make Molotov cocktails. Growing up has never been such a necessity, but they don’t have a choice. Mothers dying, Kremlin lying THE CASE of Mariupol, a city in eastern Ukraine, and the current barrage it is sustaining under Russian missile attack has revealed the nature of Russian invaders as not only conquering but bloodthirsty. On March 9, after Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova claimed everyone had been evacuated from the city’s third biggest hospital, the very same (and very populated) hospital came under siege, resulting in mothers taking a breath for the last time, and their new-

David Munis Zepernick is a European Parliament candidate for Radikale.

an article 5 commitment, which would be the equivalent of a declaration of war pitching Russia and NATO forces against each other. He clearly did not foresee that his military aggression could push Sweden and perhaps even Finland into the open arms of NATO-membership, which would be contrary to Soviet/Russian foreign policy goals since NATO was established in 1949. He clearly did not foresee the tectonic shift in German foreign and security policy announced by Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who not only pulled the plug on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which Putin hadn´t expected either, but also promised to invest 100 billion euros in a special fund to modernise the country’s military and boost annual defence spending annually to more than 2 percent of the GDP.

Putin was short-sighted PRESIDENT Putin obviously made some serious miscalculations too. He clearly did not anticipate the stiff Ukrainian resistance or the West´s united willingness to severely sanction Russia and support Ukraine with almost everything short of

As Europeans together I TRULY believe these measures are an appropriate and necessary response in the short run. If we desert Ukraine, we desert Europe. Putin has clearly demonstrated that the only language he respects is the language of military power. Putin has clearly crossed the point of no return and although international diplomacy is unpredictable, he will probably be considered a pariah of international politics for the remainder of his political life. The sad fact is, however, that European Union's

NCE AGAIN war in Europe has the potential to overthrow the existing world order; naked Russian aggression has caught most, if not all, western leaders by surprise. Now, with the benefit of hindsight, we acknowledge that the signs were actually there, but we conveniently chose to ignore them believing we basically understood the rationale behind the actions of the Russian leader. We obviously didn´t.

borns never seeing the light of day. In Denmark everyone has access to healthcare, so no-one ever has to consider the cost of their health. Pregnant women go to hospitals to give new life, but the mothers of Ukraine will never get that chance now. With no access to clean water, and no access to electricity, it’s a new kind of dystopia. Refugee acceptance IN COMPARISON to the standard asylum system, Denmark has opened the channels of possibilities for Ukrainian refugees with a special ‘Ukrainian Law’ to help Ukrainians get integrated into their temporary new homes. With just over 3 million refugees already spread across Europe, and countries accepting them so eagerly, this raises questions regarding

member states will not be able to build up a credible military deterrent anytime soon and, in any case, nuclear-armed Russia is not Serbia or Iraq where western (US) forces can realistically aspire to catch the dictator and bring him to trial. To build up military capability takes time, and we don´t know for how long Ukraine will be able to keep up the fight – even with massive western military and financial support. For the time being, our strengths as Europeans lie elsewhere. The question we Europeans should ask ourselves is: how we, militarily impotent as we are, can actually influence – read shorten – the duration of the war and, as they seem to be inextricably linked, Putin´s presidency? Appealing to the Russians ONE THING to consider in parallel with the sanctions and military and financial support for Ukraine, but before all these actions are actually carried out, could be to present the Russian people – not the Russian president – with a much better deal! In exchange for a stop to the war, a change of leadership and free elections, we could and should pledge to invest heavily in a new peaceful and democratic Russia. Despite about 20 years of Putin propaganda, the Russians are not all hardcore nationalists eager to re-enact the Cold War and with a narrow-minded focus on restoring 'Russian glory'. The Russians are an oppressed people led by a kleptocratic dictator who has used brute force and swindling ways to castrate Russia's democratic institution to stay in power. To do so and send such a signal to the Russian people would indeed be a risky business,

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the other refugees, for whom such laws have never been enacted, and opportunities have been denied. As a person from Ukraine who is not used to being part of a group in need of a home so desperately, the disparity is clear, and the need for equality amongst refugees is crucial. War cannot be purified EUROPE must understand that it can help Ukraine prevent the number of already existing Ukrainian refugees from growing by providing assistance in the fight to stop the Russian expansionist project, not delay it. Ukraine stands, and the morale is stronger than ever. The question now is how long can it last?

PIXABAY

DAVID MUNIS ZEPERNICK

Luka with his parents: a childhood Putin has now stolen from him

Do they get the rationale behind the invasion?

immensely expensive and no easy task. We would effectively incentivise yet another Russian revolution with all the geopolitical uncertainties involved. We would have to diversify funding from national welfare, compromise other important political agendas and invest heavily in Russia to stabilise the country and firmly anchor democracy – not unlike the situation in post-WW2 West Germany. Listen to the Limey in NYC! BUT IT would be a very attractive alternative to war and massive rearmament and potentially the European Union's finest hour. After all, war would be such an ignorant thing to do if the Russians love their children too, as the singer Sting pointed out in the 1980s when I was a teenager.

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25 MARCH - 7 APRIL 2022

ABOUT TOWN

PHOTOS BY HASSE FERROLD

For once a royal had to share top billing with an ambassador! The occasion was a special gala on March 19 at Gamle Scene where the cream of Det Kongelige Teater came together for a special show to raise funds for Ukraine. Prinsesse Benedikte was accordingly presented to Ukrainian ambassador Mykhailo Vydoinyk and his wife. Among the performers was Ukrainian ballet star Iana Salenkoand Three new ambassadors were recently presented to the queen (clockwise from top): Salem Emdigesh (Libya), Hyung Gil Kim (South Korea) and Asta Radikaite (Lithuania). In timehonoured tradition, let us say: Asalaamu alaikum, Eoseo oshipshio, and Sveiki!

Sophie Hæstorp Andersen, the lady mayor of Copenhagen, and Georgian ambassador Nata Menabde were among those in attendance at a KVINFO reception at Vega to mark International Women's Day on March 8

PAMELA JUHL

Saudi Arabian ambassador Sahal M Ergeosous was among the guests of Ghanian ambassador Sylvia Naa Adawa Annok at a reception to celebrate her country’s national day at the Bernstorff Castle Copenhagen hotel on March 6

US charge d’affaires Stuart Dwyer hosted the AmCham Spring Reception at Rydhave, the US ambassador’s residence. Among his guests were Hans Hermansen, the CEO of CPH POST

UK ambassador Emma Hopkins was among the guests of Estonian ambassador Mart Laanemae at a reception to mark his country’s national day along with the opening of a new art exhibition by the Estonian painter Konrad Mägi

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25 MARCH - 7 APRIL 2022

PADDY’S DAY IN COPENHAGEN: NOBODY DOES IT BETTER! Following an unplanned three-year hiatus, the three-legged event and parade came roaring back to life on March 17 – as good a day as any to mark the 100th anniversary of James Joyce’s masterpiece ‘Ulysses’ and for CPH POST to finally make its debut in race ARMELLE DELMELLE

FTER TWO years of cancellations, the St Patrick’s Day 3-Legged Charity Race made a roaring comeback at 2 pm on March 17. At the time of going to press, it has raised 31,000 kroner for charity.

CPH POST in 16th place! AND THAT included CPH POST, which for the first ever time entered a pair into the race. It was tough going (along the way I discovered I’m not a fast drinker) and some tandem drinking at times ensured we didn’t end up in a sticky mess. Whether we should be disqualified, I don’t know, but for now the official record books have us down as 34 minutes 25 seconds in 16th place, just under 14 minutes off first place, but almost two and a half hours ahead of the six teams that came equal last.

It did rain on your parade! THE DAY’S celebrations did not end with the race and after-party as 5 pm marked the start of the St Patrick’s Day Parade. Nothing was going to stop those who wanted to enjoy the luck of the Irish or a green beer – not even the rain.

There was no easy path from the door to get served at Kennedy’s Irish Bar before the race started. It was packed out with teams getting their race packs, like Clare and Ása (with the Guinness hat), or just taking their time to drink a Guinness, like Mickey and Peter (in the green suits on the right) – lining the stomach, no doubt, ahead of the half of lager each runner is required to drink at each of the race’s pit stops

Moments before Globe quizmaster John Kelleher (left) officially started the race, the teams were getting ready, each in their own way but mostly with their first beer. The defending champions (centre), the ‘Little Lebowski Urban Achievers’ (James Rasmussen and Jorge Guzman Michua), were confident of winning a second title, but they ended up second. Catrin Adams, Jess Hearne and Michael Arrowsmith (right) had their Guinness in hand and on their heads. Jess and Michael overtook our team at the third pub

The race finished at The Dubliner, where the owner Gus laid on the last beers of the race. Post-race, Jess didn’t seem to notice the race as he enjoyed a well-earned rest (left). Fellow racers Cian and Vera (centre) were in jubilant mood after finishing and getting ready for their next green beverage. While Nike Neven Nygaard and Maria Ball (right), 'The Ones who Won the Shoes', finished in a creditable ninth place

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25 MARCH - 7 APRIL 2022

The party continued at The Dubliner, but many met up at Rådhuspladsen to take part in the parade. Under the light rain, kids got their faces painted and dancers showed off their Céilí skills

Among the public was the Hassett family. Mark, the dad, is Irish, so the day called for a proper celebration. From left to right: Mark, Conor, Liam, Anita, Ellie and Rikke

About ten dancers from the Dark Green School of Irish Dancing and the Copenhagen Irish Set Dancers show the public their best Irish steps on stage (left). A big hit with the crowd were the Irish wolfhounds Shadow and Olivia (centre – owned by Tina and Jan), who made plenty of people stop to pet them. While Taurus (right), one of Ina Hansen’s dogs, prefers Pat to a pet – specifically St Patrick (Ian Bruns), who was good enough to share his Irish coffee from the cup

A day earlier, at Nordatlantens Brygge, the Irish Embassy held a reception to mark the feastday where the charge d’affaires, Kevin Dowling, addressed those present before giving the room to his counterpart from the Ukrainian Embassy to make a stirring speech about the ongoing Russian invasion. Also present were (centre) the dean of the diplomatic corps, Romanian ambassador MihaAlexandru Gradinar, who was greeted by Dowling and Emily Ghadimi, the current deputy head of the mission; and (right) a real who’s whos of the Anglophone community (clockwise from bottom right): society photographer Hasse Ferrold, the president of International Club Copenhagen, Ghadimi, Dowling, Simon Mears, the president of the Royal Society of St George, Gareth Garvey, the president of British Chamber of Commerce, St Albans Church vicar Revd Smitha Prasadam and her husband Peter, CPH POST editor Ben Hamilton and Roger Moore

On the big day itself, the Irish Tourism Board held a special St Patrick’s Day Literary Luncheon at Paludan Bogcafe in central Copenhagen to mark the feastday along with the 100th anniversary of the publication of James Joyce’s masterpiece ‘Ulysses’. Upon arrival, guests were invited to don a trademark Joyce hat, enjoy music by the Rebel All-Stars and relax in the safe hands of the tourism board team (left and centre). ‘Ulysses’ provided the inspiration for the menu, which included a Riverdance performance or two and a passage read aloud by a Danish appreciation society (sacrilegiously in Danish, mind you), after which everyone went home with a delightful goodie bag (right)

DANISH NEWS IN ENGLISH | CPHPOST.DK

HISTORY THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

25 MARCH - 7 APRIL 2022

THE LONG AND VINDING ROAD THAT LEADS TO YOUR SHORE

ROBERT BURCHER

INLAND, oh mythical Vinland, where art thou? The most significant contest in North American archaeology has been ongoing for centuries: to find the original site of Vinland, the landing spot of Leif Erikson’s expedition in 1000. Not L'anse aux Meadow! NATIONAL Geographic magazine thought it had found it a few years ago. But despite sophisticated satellite surveillance and hundreds of thousands of dollars, its best effort turned out to be an abandoned farm from the 1930s. And archaeologists know with certainty that the Canadian Viking site L'anse aux Meadow on the island of Newfoundland is not where Erikson landed. Their work, over the last 40 years, has confirmed that women lived at L'anse aux Meadow and that domestic animals were present as well. That would indicate that the site would have been a subsequent settlement location. Recent carbon dating research has shown that it existed in the year 1021. Erikson's voyage of 21 years earlier, when he ‘discovered’ Vinland, was solely to harvest timber for house building in Greenland. The sagas tell us that 30 men accompanied him. No women, no animals. Many theories abound about the exact site of Vinland, and the most esteemed Icelandic historian even claimed the location would never be found! Magnus Magnusson stated that the Icelandic Sagas are too vague and contrary to decipher an exact geographic location. But what if a dedicated Dane has already cracked the case? I believe that the late Niels Vinding of Copenhagen established the location of the Vinland landings in 1997. He wrote a book about it, but he died before fully proving his case.

Stumbled upon a boulder MY STORY is crazy as I pretty much stumbled into one of the greatest mysteries of the last 1000 years: where is Erikson's Vinland? I am a Canadian interested in indigenous rock art. Much of my work is discovering obscure inscriptions written in exotic scripts on hidden rock faces in the wilderness of Canada. That search led me to the wilds of Newfoundland to see an unusual Iberian inscription near the only known Viking site in Canada. During that exploration in 2011, I was told by the head of archaeology from the local university about a recently discovered inscription boulder in southern Newfoundland with what appeared to be several Viking runic inscriptions. I travelled to see them and was impressed by their age and the skill needed to carve them into a granite boulder. The lichen covering parts of the script spoke of hundreds of years of exposure. A Canadian Viking runic expert who I consulted claimed to be able to read what was a vague statement about ice and cold and being stuck there for the winter. But the owner of the boulder claimed her daughter had carved them when she was a teenager. I doubted the wisdom of a teenager to know Viking runics and then the tenacity to complete such a skilled job. I shared the images with Lisbeth Imer from the Danish National Museum, and she claimed they were recent. I later discovered that the boulder had been known about for at least a hundred years prior, but at some point was removed from its original location. I was intrigued by the discrepancies of the stories and started a broader search. On the same trail I WAS STUNNED to discover that Niels Vinding, the Dane at the heart of this story, had come to this same harbour to search for Vinland. He was looking for discarded ballast stones after learning the location from a Canadian writer who had theorised that this was the most logical place for Erikson to have landed. In his book ‘West Viking’, the well-known Canadian author Farley Mowat observed that discarded ballast stones would be the clue to finding ROBERT BURCHER

One of the ballast stones discovered by Vinding

ROBERT BURCHER

How a Canadian adventurer has continued the quest of a late Danish historian to confirm the true North American location of Vinland, the landing spot of Leif Erikson’s expedition in 1000

The truth is out there, and Mulder ... sorry Burcher ... is determined to find it

the original Vinland. Thus, Vinding travelled to Canada and spent the summers of 1997 and 1998 searching for unique and suspicious stones at Bellevue Beach on Trinity Bay. And he found some! The local university's geology department identified the stones as columnar basalt but of unknown origin – definitely not Canadian. No-one seemed to care to push this mystery any further. In 1998, Niels published his discoveries in a book, ‘The Viking Discovery of America, 985 to 1008: The Greenland Norse And Their Voyages to Newfoundland’, shortly before dying of cancer. The book was not translated into English until 2006. Wary of vested interests NOW I LOVE a good mystery, and this all seemed very logical. Viking runes – check; ballast stone – check; a well thought-out theory – check; an appropriate beach location – check. But why wasn't anyone in Newfoundland interested in pursuing this fascinating story? I finally realised that the government has spent millions of dollars on building a replica Viking longhouse and interpretative centre at L'anse aux Meadow and was not keen on having some amateur change the paradigm. Yes, for sure, L'anse aux Meadow is still an excellent Viking site but not what it was initially claimed to be! Since I am not an academic and had no reputation to protect, I jumped into this story and have worked on it for eleven years from all possible angles. All of the site specifics that Erikson described exist at Bellevue Beach. It is a beautiful fjord-type setting with a big sandy landing beach – more beautiful than the barren rocky shore of the

presently known Viking site. Like a lot of archaeological finds, it is hiding in plain sight! It is in a public park now overgrown with trees and scrubby underbrush. Sourcing the stone IN 2014, I travelled to the harbour for a second time and convinced the owner of one of the ballast stones found by Vinding to let me have a sample for analysis.

Cover of Niels Vinding's book

DANISH NEWS IN ENGLISH | CPHPOST.DK

He obliged, and I was able to have it analysed by a high-tech lab through a process called ‘Spectrographic Analysis’. Using nuclear furnaces that burn the stone at impossible temperatures, the gases that are driven off are analysed and recorded. The easy explanation is that it is like doing the DNA of a crime scene. The problem is that I then had to find the stone's source location to get a sample for comparison. Knowing that Erikson had initially come from

HISTORY THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

25 MARCH - 7 APRIL 2022 ROBERT BURCHER

Iceland, I figured that the columnar basalt ballast stones were from there. After all, the main cathedral in Reykjavik is built to look like columnar basalt. I obtained a sample from Breidafjordur Bay, where Erikson lived before moving to Greenland, but to the naked eye, the internal colour was obviously different. After struggling to make that theory work, I switched my focus to Greenland. It would make sense since that is where Erikson was living with his father Eric the Red on what was called Ericksfjord (now Tunulliarfik Fjord). He sailed from there in a knarr that he had bought from Bjarni Herjolfsson, another Icelander. Herjolfsson was the first to see a mysterious wooded island west of Greenland after being blown there during a major storm. Mining the truth MY RESEARCH started by scanning tourist photos from Greenland on Google Images. I spotted similar suspicious square boulders in a Viking church ruin called the Hvalsey Church that dates to 1000 AD. Widening the visual search, I found a replica Viking stone and turf house at a museum in the village of Narsaq. That village sits at the end of the Tunulliarfik Fjord. I contacted the museum and was able to talk to the curator, another Dane by the name of Jesper Enevoldsen, who was quite supportive of my research. He sent me a photo of what appears to be a quarry of columnar basalt from his village. The story was a grand theory, but I still did not have conclusive evidence that the archaeology community would accept. Having found a promising location for the rock source, I started drilling

We can make out "Yeti" for sure. Told you Bigfoot was a thing

down through the internet concerning basalt in that area. I eventually found research carried out by the University of Edinburgh: some spectrographic analysis for mining purposes on the fjord. By comparing the two data sets, I was able to see that the list of mineral elements absolutely matched. What a relief!

ROBERT BURCHER

Behold the holy ballast IT NOW seems so easy to understand that Erikson would have ballasted his boat in his home fjord. The boat would have been very light as they sailed from Greenland to Newfoundland with no cargo, so the addition of extra weight was necessary. The essential thing to know is that the square boulders of about three feet long, 12 inches high, and 18 inches wide were apparently then used as foundation blocks in the temporary turf houses they built in Vinland – turf houses in Iceland have a foundation of similar columnar basalt blocks crucial for moisture drainage.

As a matter of interest, one of the ballast blocks can still be seen in situ in what appears to be a turf house foundation in Newfoundland. Specialists at the Roskilde Ship Museum who I contacted were highly sceptical of this kind of sizeable square ballast. Other mariners have told me that you use whatever is available at the location you are departing from. The matching of the rocks answers that argument. False seeds, or perhaps berries ANOTHER vital part of this ‘saga’ that needs to be considered is the name Vinland – the land of grapes. Historians for centuries have argued that Vinland can't be in Newfoundland because grapes don’t grow there and never did. No-one, it seemed, has ever questioned the veracity of Erikson’s statement that he found grapes! Was it a deliberate attempt to promote his discovery of the wonderful island, or a genuine mistake. The Greenlanders had never seen grapes growing, so you can understand the mistake.

DANISH NEWS IN ENGLISH | CPHPOST.DK

And of course, the similarity of wild grapes to blueberries is easy to see. They are still making outstanding blueberry wine in Newfoundland. On the verge of greatness NOW THAT I have absolute scientific proof of the stones having come from Greenland, a full-on archaeological survey will most likely show a turf house ruin that still exists on Bellevue Beach. Once that is established, connecting it to Erikson will be easy, and we can say we have indeed found Vinland! As a contemporary footnote to this discovery, the spectrographic analysis of the ballast stone indicates that they are full of rare earth Minerals. Thus my curiosity about some contentious Viking runic inscriptions has bridged a historical 1000-year-old myth with contemporary geo-political ambitions, as China has claims on the homeland of Erick the Red and Leif Erikson for mining purposes. I only wish that Niels Vinding had lived long enough to see his work proven.

Robert Burcher is a Canadian photographer, writer and adventurer. With an interest in archaeology and native cultures he has travelled the country searching out rock art. His writings cover ancient Celtic voyages on the North Atlantic; the North American indigenous copper trade; and, more recently, his journeys following in the footsteps of John Muir, an American naturalist and founder of the Sierra Club who lived in Canada for two years in the 1800s.

EVENTS THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

25 MARCH - 7 APRIL 2022

Rub-A-Dub-Dub

Die Walküre

CPH:DOX

Rub-A-Dub-Dub

Piano Days

Die Walküre

CPH:DOX

Book event

ongoing, ends April 6, Mon-Fri 19:30, Sat 17:00; Krudttønden, Serridslevvej 2, Cph Ø; 205kr, teaterbilletter.dk; 85 min Claus Bue directs Ian Burns, Andrew Jeffers, Sune Svanekjær and Dawn Wall in this brand new play by Irish playwright Fergal O’Byrne. Discover why CPH POST gave it five stars, urging audiences to “go and watch this play if you want dark humour at its best, food for thought to mull over on your next cycle home … if during these dark times you’re rooting for humanity … and you love theatre”. (BH)

March 25, 19:30, March 26-27, 20:00; Venues: (25) Brønshøj Vandtårn, Brønshøjvej 29 (26 & 27) Koncertkirken, Blågårds Plads 6A, Cph N; 80-100kr; pianodayscph.com This three-day festival offers exciting pianists from home and abroad, taking the listener inside the instrument themselves. Experience Russian piano virtuosos amidst worn-out pianos that have been completely dismantled and transformed into new objects of use. Remember warm clothes if you go to Brønshøj Vandtårn. (AD)

performances on March 24 at 17:00 and March 27 at 15:00; Operaen, Ekvipagemestervej 10, Cph K; 157-980kr, kglteater.dk; subtitles in Danish, 300 min with intervals As CPH POST’s five star review applauds, Hearing Wagner’s ‘The Ride of the Valkyries’ in context is a rare experience. And seeing it in Scandinavia, where the myths and legends that inspired it originated, is rarer still. So, whether you love Wagner, love ‘Apocalypse Now’ or just love a spectacle – go and see ‘Die Walküre’. (LH)

Until April 3 and online April 1-10; various locations; Ticket and program at cpdox.dk CPH:DOX will be a hybrid festival in 2022. All of the films will be screened at cinemas while a selection of films will be part of a nationwide online festival (geoblocked to Denmark). All movies are in English or with English subtitles. (AD)

30 March 2022 19:00-21:00; Books and Company, 1 Sofievej, Hellerup; free adm Denmark-based Parsian architect and designer Lawrence Ebelle has spent three years creating a truly remarkable book. ‘Beyond the Window Sill’ is all about the moment we open our windows to spring. It shares the stories and views of the neighbourhoods of Copenhagen from these windowsills, with gorgeous watercolor illustrations by Puk Ewdokia. Attend the event to meet Lawrence, purchase the book, and have a drink or nibble. (AD)

English Comedy Night

Opera Tours in English

April 7, doors 18:00, show 18:45; Knock Knock Comedy Club, Vimmelskaftet 41, Cph K; 120kr, billetto.dk (only 60 seats) Copenhagen English Comedy Night again presents three comics … wait, don’t forget compere Adrian Mackinder … for you to wash down with refreshing large beers (just 45 kroner) and cocktails (65). This month’s headliner is Peter Flanagan (Ireland), with Dennis Vansant (Belgium) and Ulug Bek (Uzbekistan) offering able support. Big-hearted Dennis recently confirmed he’s shut Bar 1420 in Nørrebro and leaving Denmark, so this might be your last chance to see him. (AD)

Saturdays and Sundays, 12:00; Ekvipagemestervej 10, Cph K; 135kr, under-12s 60kr, kglteater.dk Discover the Opera's beautiful foyer with its clean lines, Olafur Eliasson's light sculptures, and views over Copenhagen Harbour that embrace the shiny maple shell around the Main Stage. See Per Kirkeby's copper reliefs and Per Arnoli's floor casting. Come into the auditorium and behind the scenes, where the huge movable stage panels make it possible to stage several different performances on the same day. (AD)

Wild West improv night

March 30, 19:00-20:30; Lygten Station, Lygten 2, Cph NV; 60-80kr, billetto.dk From bar slides to heroes to gambling, this improvised comedy show will create a Western movie right in front of your eyes, fully improvised and non-scripted. So join in as SuperCut, a professional team of comedians and performers, makes magic. (AD)

Night at the Oscars

March 27, 20:00; Husets Biograf, Rådhusstræde 13, Cph K; free adm, reserve seats at jack.stevenson@mail.dk with ‘Oscar’ as the subject Experience the Oscars together with other film aficionados. There will be a red carpet and games, and you can bet on who’s going to win the awards. Sounds like fun? Make this an Oscar Night to remember. (AD)

Science Saturday

March 26, 12:00-16:00; Hall 4 at Copenhagen Contemporary, Refshalevej 173A, Cph K; 120kr Why is the sky blue? Learn the answer to this and other questions from noon to 4 pm. This arrangement is included in the entrance price. (AD) Historic Days

March 26-27, Sat 10:00-18:00, Sun 10:00-17:00; Øksnehallen, Halmtorvet 11, Cph V; 125-150kr, fuau.dk, under-18s: free adm Enjoy colours, smells, sounds, movements, clever words, and powerful material with for eyes, ears, the nose, mouth, and body. The festival, which is mostly in Danish, doesn’t limit history to one period, event or theme. There are around 150 mini events. (AD) Gravens Rand Quiz

March 29, 19:00; Søndre Fasanvej 24, Frederiksberg; entry 30kr Maximum of four per team, it’s 1,000 kroner for the winners and a crate of beer for second. Two beer rounds, and shots for last place!

Vera's market

March 26-27, 11:00-16:00; Nørrebrohallen, Nørrebrogade 208, Cph N; 35kr, stands 450kr Want to make some space in your own wardrobe? Refresh it or pass on old favourites in the heart of Nørrebro. Book your stall via verasvintage.dk. (AD) Kennedy’s Quiz

April 4, 19:30; Kennedy’s Irish Bar,Gammel Kongevej 23, Cph V Quiz night at Kennedy’s Irish Bar includes raffles, cash prizes, and drinks rounds. Globe Quiz

Painting & Drinks

April 1, 17:00-19:30; Steel House, Herholdtsgade 6, Cph V; price: 350kr via art-xp.com Join your host Bojana Kruscic for a 150-minute acrylic painting workshop where she will provide step-by-step instructions to create a featured painting, all while you sip on your favourite drink. (AD) Outdoor Flea Market

March 24 & April 7, 19:15; Globe Irish Pub, Nørregade 43-45, Cph K; 50 kroner per person to enter Game night’s on at this pub on Nørregade! The winners will be awarded 1,000 kroner, and there are plenty of spot prizes too. (MB)

March 26-27, 10:00-17:00; Otto Bussesvej 5A, Cph SV Buy or sell your outdoor equipment. Stands are provided free of charge. Send an email to marcus@vagabond.info with a short text and photo to put up your goods. (AM) sweet tunes played by cool DJs. (AD)

Comedy with Rachman Blake

The Elvis Concert

March 25-27, 20:30; Teater Play, Strandlodsvej 7, Cph S; 195kr, ti.to/storyparty This hilarious comedy experience from Rachman Blake (Story Party | True Dating Stories) features crazy stories, funny songs, and general ridiculousness. You'll laugh till you cry, or at the very least, smile once or twice. (AD)

April 5, 20:00; Bremen Teater, Nyropsgade 39-41, Cph V; 420kr, ticketmaster.dk The Elvis Concert featuring original Elvis musicians Bob Lanning and Jim Murray returns to play the King’s songs with passion and authenticity. After the concert, there will be a meet & greet where you can greet these musical giants. (AD)

cph:dox in cinemateket March 23 - April 3

Explore one of the world’s largest documentary festivals with more than 200 international documentaries.

See what’s on at cinemateket.dk or visit us in Gothersgade 55. DANISH NEWS IN ENGLISH | CPHPOST.DK

ENGLISH JOB DENMARK Recruitment Announcements GLOBAL DIGITAL MANAGER, FALCK Can you create coherence in the digital communication across external and internal channels in a global healthcare company? And are you an experienced digital channels manager who is at the forefront of digital development and can work in both front-end and back-end? Location: Copenhagen Deadline: 12 April 2022 Contact: Tina Obel Lyngholm, Head of Branding, Digital and Internal Communications, tina.o.lyngholm@falck.com

INTERNATIONAL PROJECT CONTROLLER, RED BARNET We are looking for a colleague to join our Project Finance and Compliance section and coordinate our Danida/SPA account.

Location: Copenhagen Deadline: 24 April 2022 Contact: Amelina Jaskowiak, Head Project Finance and Compliance, atamj@redbarnet.dk

MARKETING ANALYST, DATA & INSIGHTS, COLOPLAST As such this is a very versatile role requiring both data crunching, project management and communication skills – further to this, it also includes taking on the role of reporting process owner, meaning that you will be responsible for defining new requirements needed to optimize and automate marketing processes related to reporting. Location: Humlebæk Deadline: ASAP Contact: Lars Ølgod Pedersen, Head of Data & Insights, dklap@coloplast.com

To advertise your vacancy here and reach 60,000+ readers weekly, contact: info@englishjobdenmark.dk or call 60 70 22 98. For more information about what we can offer: https://englishjobdenmark.dk/

ENGLISH JOB DENMARK

BUSINESS RISK & CONTINUITY COORDINATOR, FLEET CYBER SECURITY OFFICER, MAERSK SUPPLY SERVICE You will be supporting the vessels and shorebased staff on matters related to security. You will also support with training and execution of drills to the entire organisation in Crisis and Emergency Management, and you will further be supporting, coordinating and managing deliverables of Enterprise Risk registers and Business Continuity plans to the senior management and corporate functions. Location: Lyngby Deadline: 17 April 2022 Contact: Anika Kjaer-Axelsen, Head of Security & Risk, +45 29 16 77 02

MARKETING FINANCE BUSINESS PARTNER (MATERNITY COVER), PANDORA Do you want to manage the Global Office budget within Pandora’s CMO area? Do you want to work closely with senior stakeholders such as the CFO, the CMO and Marketing SVPs, VPs and Directors? And do want to be part of an organisation where we show courage, dare to take calculated risks and seek new ways of doing things – while still remembering to create moments of fun? Then this is the opportunity you’ve been waiting for! Location: Copenhagen Deadline: 30 April 2022 Contact: Christian Nørregaard Buch, Global Recruiter, chnbu@pandora.net

ADMINISTRATIVE COORDINATOR WITH EXCELLENT ENGLISH SKILLS TO JOIN GLOBAL HSE, VELUX Are you an experienced coordinator with a knack for administrative tasks and do you hold exceptional English skills – verbally and in writing? Are you a strong communicator and can you create user-friendly, convincing and on-point communication materials tailored to various audiences in our production companies? Location: Hørsholm Deadline: ASAP Contact: Windy Nielsen, Senior HSE Manager, +45 53 64 56 54

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER IN FEED AND FORAGE, FOSS You will be responsible for developing and implementing new business opportunities and will work closely with customers, partners, and many different functions internally in FOSS. Location: Hillerød Deadline: 1 June 2022 Contact: Henrik Elholm, Head of Dairyat, hel@foss.dk

STUDENT HELP MANUFACTURING EXCELLENCE & SUSTAINABILITY, TRELLEBORG GROUP This job is an opportunity for any student who would like to work cross organizational with the focus on nudging, knowledge management, communication, and lean management. Location: Helsignør Deadline: 8 April 2022 Contact: Nine Haraldsted, Project Director, +45 53 57 48 89

TECHNICAL ARTWORK EXECUTION SPECIALIST, SCANDINAVIAN TOBACCO GROUP Together with other internal and external designers you will be responsible for keeping our large portfolio of product packaging up to date. The main task will be to implement new legal requirements such as health warnings, recycling symbols, track and trace markings and more. Location: Assens Deadline: 4 April 2022 Contact: Martin Clausen, Martin.Clausen@st-group.com

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Exhibition 12.02 – 04.09.2022

A Space Saga The Future of Space Architecture

dac.dk