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LOCAL A nation awaits, as Britta fidgets, feigns and faints

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NATIONAL

Time to recognise reality?

Police make strong plea for facial recognition technology

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RACISM-LOADED FRIES Mouthpiece of the English Ghetto That’s us in case you hadn’t figured it out

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ET YOU didn’t realise you’d be moving to the ghetto when you arrived in Denmark.

No, we’re not talking about the Mjølnerparken housing estate in Nørrebro or any other of Denmark's 28 vulnerable neighbourhoods.

Biggest in country ACCORDING to Kenn Hoeg Christensen, a Danish teacher in Aalborg, the biggest such area in Denmark is the ‘English Ghetto’.

And if we primarily use English to communicate, we are part of what is a 325,000-strong community.

In an opinion piece in Weekendavisen, Christensen recalls a recent experience on Refshaleøn when he asked for a glass of water (and an IPA of course!) and got the response: "Excuse me, what?" followed by: “Oh, water – is that 'vand' in Danish?"

Endless spiral CHRISTENSEN lambasts the decision to charge for language classes, citing claims that 50 percent fewer are learning Danish.

And he also blames Danish companies for not requiring foreign, highly-skilled workers to learn Danish and integrate.

“The English Ghetto is an endless spiral of resource consumption and chronic ghetto conditions caused by a widespread lack of Danish,” he warned.

4 More border controls

Podcasts more popular

IN RESPONSE to the gang violence and bomb attacks connected to Sweden, Denmark is introducing temporary border controls at the border with its northern neighbour from mid-November. The controls will consist of random checks a few times a week. The measure comes at a time when pressure is building on Denmark to cease its temporary controls on its border with Germany.

MORE DANES are sourcing their news from websites than newspapers, according to the latest media landscape report, ‘Rapportering om mediernes udvikling i Danmark’. Among the other findings, 49 percent of the population listened to a podcast last year, 98 percent had access to internet in 2018, and 75 percent still watch some traditional TV.

Aussies bash Danes AUSTRALIAN TV channel ABC recently broadcast a TV segment portraying the Danes as pork-infatuated, immigrant-phobic Muslim-bashers. And then, barely as the dust had settled, a YouGov survey for Mandag Morgen revealed that 28 percent of Danes either agree or partially agreed that all Muslims should leave Denmark.

Cartoon crisis brewing?

DANISH craft beer producer Beer Here has been heavily criticised for using satirical religious motifs on some of its labels. At least 40 Indians have contacted the brewery to complain about its 'Kama Citra' and 'Coffee Karma' products.

Other labels include ones showing Jesus drinking a beer, Mohammed wearing a Danish ‘klap-hat’ and Tintin giving a Nazi salute.

INSIDE OUR NEXT ISSUE, OUT 14 NOVEMBER! Diplomacy

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LOCAL

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

ONLINE THIS WEEK LANDLORDS are increasingly making renovations so they can raise rents in Copenhagen. Today there are only 36,300 two-bedroom apartments available for rent for under 5,000 kroner, compared to 48,000 in 2015. An average two bedroom apartment costs 11,225 kroner – up 31 percent from 8,536 kroner in 2014. On average, internationals pay 28 percent more than Danes in rent.

More organics in capital THERE are regional differences when it comes to buying organic food. Over 50 percent of consumers in the Capital Region ‘often’ or ‘always’ opt for organic food, according to a Norstat survey carried out for Landbrug & Fødevarer, compared to just 29 percent of the people who live in north Jutland.

The national average is 43 percent.

DENMARK'S most popular radio station, Radio24syv, is going off the air on October 31. The Culture Ministry recently decided that the Copenhagen station would not be granted a DAB radio broadcasting permit. Radio24syv, which was launched in November 2011, attracted around 1.1 million listeners every week.

Funds for Nørrebro centre CITY HALL has granted 1.1 million kroner to Muhabet, a drop-in centre for the mentally vulnerable on Bragesgade in Nørrebro. However, the amount is a long way off the 3.1 million kroner asked for.

Muhabet mostly works with immigrants with mental health issues.

Editorial offices: International House, Gyldenløvesgade 11, 1600 Copenhagen Denmark

Suspected embezzler collapses on opening day of court case

of late, and that she had forgotten to take her pills.

SOMA BIRÓ

Of little help NIELSEN stands accused of gross fraud, misconduct and forgery, and ahead of the trial she was reported to be excited at the prospect of finally breaking her silence on the missing funds from Socialstyrelsen, the national health board, which were mostly earmarked for some of the most needy people in society.

After her arrest in South Africa in November 2018 she said she would “recover and/or seize assets, which include income from illegal activities and/ or money laundering”. But days later at a constitutional hearing in Denmark she neither pleaded

B

RITTA Nielsen, the woman accused of embezzling 117 million kroner from the public purse between 1993 and 2018, fell ill during the opening hours of her nine-day trial at Copenhagen City Court on October 24.

Trial suspended THE TRIAL was suspended until the 65-year-old had recovered sufficiently. It resumed on October 29.

Nielsen’s lawyer Nima Nabipour told media that his client has experienced heart problems

During happier times

guilty nor innocent, and she has been of little help in locating the missing assets.

Missing assets BARELY 5 million of the 117 million kroner has been traced.

If found guilty – which is deemed likely given the considerable paper trail – Nielsen faces a likely prison sentence of up to 12 years.

New look for capital's Paper Island NCC

Radio station closing

Britta Nielsen trial resumes after suspension FACEBOOK/BRITTA NIELSEN

Apartment rents soaring

1 - 14 November 2019

Industrial past will be all too evident in modern design CHRISTIAN WENANDE

F

OR SEVERAL years, it was the home of Copenhagen Street Food, and thousands of foodies flocked there on a daily basis – like an Ellis Island for cuisine.

Now construction firm NCC has confirmed it has signed a 1.2 billion kroner deal to develop Papirøen (Paper Island – although it is formally known as Christiansholm Island), but insists the project's vision will ensure the island loses none of its industrial charms.

ONLINE THIS WEEK Suspected arsonist arrested COPENHAGEN Police has arrested a 27-year-old man suspected of setting as many as nine cars on fire – primarily in Nørrebro – since August 30. The police are confident the fires have no relation to the ongoing gang conflict. Some 648 cars have been set on light in Denmark this year.

Slowest road in capital SOME 11 of the 20 slowest roads during rush hour in Denmark are in Copenhagen, according to the Ministry of Transport. The slowest is a section of Amagerbrogade/ Torvegade, which has an average speed of 8.2 km/ h – a rate blamed on extensive roadworks that began in the autumn of 2017.

Castle for sale KOKKEDAL Castle in Hørsholm in northeast Zealand is up for sale for 150 million kroner. Originally built in 1746, its owner since 2011, property investor Mikael Goldschmidt, has spent a lot of money on renovating it, running the castle as a luxury resort called Kokkedal Slot Copenhagen. Under the terms of the sale, a buyer must agree to continue with the business.

New library for kids A little austere, but certainly industrial looking!

2024 conclusion APARTMENTS, public housing, a hotel and a market hall for shops, cafes, restaurants and culture events will be built, with work starting next year and continuing until 2024.

Architecture firm COBE has

Founded in 1998

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designed untraditional façades consisting of concrete and brick to represent the industrial heritage of Papirøen, which for half a century until 2012 was the home of the Procurement Association of the Danish Press.

ON NOVEMBER 4, the second floor of Copenhagen’s Main Library on Krystalgade will be closed off as new renovations begin to create a new children’s floor, which will include a book section and activity zones that follow the chronological development of a child’s linguistic growth. The renovation will take around six months.

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4 COVER Do you want some racial slurs to go with your fries?

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

EMILE YOUNG

C

HINA!” the employee called.

Supuck Prugsiganont looked up, shocked at the racial slur.

A Thai national finishing her PhD in Denmark, Prugsiganont and her friends had stopped for a quick bite at the Burger King in Copenhagen Airport on the evening of October 21.

Prugsiganont would normally let this type of everyday racism slide, but this time she was a paying customer and the racial slur had come from an employee filling out her order.

My name isn’t “China” “THE STAFF wrote ‘China’ on the receipt and called out loud ‘China’ when our order was ready,” Prugsiganont said. “We decided to go up to the employee to bring attention to this kind of behavior.”

Instead of apologising, Prugsiganont said the employee laughed and said she and her boyfriend Pascal, a Dutch national, were wasting his time.

Another customer intervened and requested the name of the employee and his manager – both of whom refused to oblige.

As the customer tried to take a photo of the manager’s name tag, the manager claimed this was harassment and called airport security. Four security personnel responded and de-escalated the situation. Still, Prugsiganont said the employee never admitted he did anything wrong.

“Security came, but they just said the employee didn’t do it deliberately, and they could see no

harm in it. But I disagree. I think that casual racism is unacceptable in such an international place like the airport,” Prugsiganont said.

Ulrik Jönsson, a Swede travelling with his 11-year-old son, was behind Prugsiganont in the line and corroborated her story.

“When the Thai group objected to being called ‘China’ and said they found this offensive, they were ignored by the staff who just laughed and told them to go away and stop wasting their time. All in all, it was a very uncomfortable situation and strange behaviour,” Jönsson said.

Suraj Lakhani wrote on Burger King Danmark’s Facebook page that he also witnessed the incident. “Burger King staff acted in a horrible and aggressive manner!” Lakhani wrote.

Hygge racism WHILE this incident falls far short of being racially-driven hate-speech, it’s square in the category of ‘everyday’ or ‘casual’ racism – an example of its very Danish variant: ‘hygge racism’.

According to Den Danske Ordbog, ‘hygge racism’ refers to “using racist words and expressing prejudice about individuals of another ethnic origin in a way that you think is fun and unproblematic, but which is hurtful and offensive to those you talk about or talk to”.

Hygge racism consists of everyday, casual micro-aggressions that eventually add up to racism in its most recognisable and extreme forms. The speaker may not always intend the remarks to be malicious, but they are often perceived as such.

Slurs not just for expats PRUGSIGANONT'S experience, however, isn’t an isolated one. Sin Li, a Dane of Vietnamese descent, experiences casual

SUPUCK PRUGSIGANONT

On the evening of October 21, a Burger King employee at Copenhagen Airport verbally abused a customer about her ethnicity – the latest in a series of PR gaffes by the fast-food chain this year

1 - 14 November 2019

Burgers, fries, sodas and slurs courtesy of your server Muhammad

racism on a daily basis.

In fact, Li said his grandmother was pushed down a flight of stairs a few years ago by some teenagers shouting racial slurs, which required her to undergo surgery to treat internal bleeding in her brain.

The worst part, Li said, is that hygge racism isn’t reserved for strangers. Even his friends pull back the corner of their eyes to make ‘Asian eyes’ or use high-pitched noises to imitate Asian accents.

“They don’t even know it is racist. When growing up, they were ingrained with the idea that it is okay to make fun of Asians and Asian languages,” Li said.

Minority voices silenced EVEN AS Black Lives Matter and similar movements gain global traction, Asian voices are often missing from the conversation surrounding everyday racism. Part of this, Prugsiganont speculates, is due to the Asian nature of being more reserved. Another part, she said, is that these complaints are often not taken seriously.

“Usually I just complain to my friends, because I don’t know where else to say this. Most of the time, people would just tell me to ignore it. But this time, it’s quite serious because the racism came from Burger King staff,” Prugsiganont said.

Li agrees, adding that not only do Asians tend to not speak up, but that the Danish culture of minding your own business potentially represses dissenting minority voices.

Much ado about nothing?

IN THE climate of PC culture

and the #MeToo movement, it may be tempting to say the situation surrounding everyday racist remarks is overblown and just creates a ‘culture of victimhood’.

For instance, a shift leader at the Copenhagen Airport Burger King pointed out that their staff are very international and that any remarks could not have been ill-intentioned.

However, while everyday racism may seem harmless, it’s not unproblematic. Over time, these micro-aggressions become accepted as the norm and slowly enforce a systematic view that oppresses certain individuals, according to Ditte Marie Munch-Jurisic, a post-doc student researching unconscious bias at Roskilde University.

“When a person who experiences hygge racism does not protest among their group of friends, and laughs with them, it may be because the individual cannot be bothered to have the tough talk about it,” she said.

“The author of the joke therefore believes that everything is fine, even though in reality it may have done harm.”

While Li’s friends and acquaintances might think nothing of their hygge racist remarks, Li knows only too well that the daily interactions eventually add up.

“People can say that you don’t have to care about what other people think,” said Li. “But in the end, it does make a difference. You feel low priority. Why do I have to fight my way up all the time to get approved or to get heard? It

makes me care less about what is happening in society.”

Making amends WHEN BURGER King Denmark was reached for comment, Daniel Schröder, its marketing director, was quick to condemn the behaviour.

“The behaviour we're hearing about is completely unacceptable and against all rules and regulations for good customer service at Burger King,” he said.

“Everyone must be treated with respect at our restaurants.

We invite every guest to our Burger King restaurants and we are truly sorry for this incident. We're investigating the incident fully and will strongly emphasise our rules and regulations to our staff.”

Burger King Denmark is trying to make strides in the right direction, but it remains to be seen if this is enough. The incident follows on the heels of other related gaffes from the fast-food chain this year.

Notably, Burger King New Zealand recently released an ad depicting diners using oversized red chopsticks to eat their new Vietnamese Sweet Chili Tendercrisp burger in April and a US-based location refused service to a deaf woman in August. After the August incident, a Burger King representative said all employees at that location will undergo sensitivity training.

“All I want is Burger King to take this situation seriously so it won’t happen to other customers, as this can ruin their business in the long run,” concluded Prugsiganont.

1 - 14 November 2019

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NATIONAL

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

ONLINE THIS WEEK More domestic hols MORE DANES are spending their summer holidays at home, according to Danmarks Statistik. They spent 4.4 percent more overnight stays, and in general there was a 5.4 percent increase – a new record. According to Norstat, 11 percent fewer Danes are expecting to travel abroad in the summer of 2020 – a fall from 3.4 to 2.8 million.

Minister on leave THE MINISTER of culture and church, Joy Mogensen, is on temporary leave following the death of her unborn child shortly before she was due to give birth. She has since encouraged people to support the National Infant Death Association instead of sending her flowers.

IT system ditched DANISH Defence has finally abandoned its IT system – a project initiated in 1994 that has haemorrhaged almost 100 million kroner.

In related news, the defence minister, Trine Bramsen, wants to remove the age limit on volunteers who serve in the Hjemmeværnet home guard. The current limit is 60.

Biggest source of alcohol WINE IS the country’s favourite source of alcohol, but Denmark consumes more beer in terms of overall litres, according to a report published by Danmarks Statistik. Wine in 2018 accounted for 45 percent of the pure alcohol consumed (150,000 litres), with beer accounting for 37 percent (360,000 litres) – down from 74 percent in 1955.

Bornholm wants more IN 2020, 600 REFUGEES will be distributed among the municipalities, but Bornholm is expected to receive none, even though it wants to accept 20. Bornholm has the second-highest employment rate for refugee families in Denmark, as 318 of 471 have found work.

According to the rules, municipalities can offer to take over one another’s quotas.

1 - 14 November 2019

Orwellian dystopia or effective tool?

The facial recognition debate isn’t going away anytime soon

Young and old in merger

SOMA BIRÓ

Y

OU KNOW it from your iPhone, the airport and Facebook – facial recognition technology. Perhaps you’ve read about its possible benefits and potential dangers. And now Copenhagen Police would like to employ it in its fight against crime.

Last week, department chief Jørgen Bergen Skov told Berlingske it would be “a huge advantage” if they could employ facial recognition technology, adding that it would be especially helpful in the hunt for suspected terrorists.

Surveillance in place DENMARK is one of the EU countries that uses the most surveillance. According to an analysis conducted by the union SikkerhedsBranchen, there are 1.5 million public and private surveillance cameras in use in the country – three times as much as an estimate made in 2013.

As a response to the bombings that took place in Copenhagen over the summer, the government recently revealed a new ‘security-package’ that proposes, among other things, allowing the police to set up 300 additional cameras and enabling it to take control of the 1.5 million cameras already in place – if extraordinary situations demand so.

ONLINE THIS WEEK

You won't like this, but we think it's the Invisible Man

ings in Copenhagen this year so far, and PM Mette Frederiksen is worried their frequency, along with the ongoing gang conflict, is poisoning the Danish people and “slowly changing the way we think and live” – even though the general crime rate is actually falling.

“The structure of Danish society is at stake,” she asserted to Berlingske.

A useful tool ACCORDING to Skov, the use of facial recognition would also enable the police to identify bags, clothes, emblems and other things that might help them find a perpetrator.

However, the government is not willing to go as far as the police chief would like. Facial recognition is not included in the security package, and Socialdemokraterne spokesperson Jeppe Bruus told Berlingske last week that they have no plans to adopt it.

“But I won’t dismiss the idea that we will be discussing this at some point,” he added.

red bloc parties Enhedslisten, SF, Alternativet and Radikale. While Enhedslisten called it a violation of privacy, Alternativet went as far as calling for a complete ban.

On the right there is more support. Inge Støjberg, the vice chair of Venstre, argues it would be a great help when, for example, dealing with gang-related crime. Dansk Folkeparti stands by the idea as well and agrees that the technology would allow the police to save a large amount of precious time.

Slowly poisoning us THERE have been 13 bomb-

Firmly opposed EVEN LESS favourable are the

Used sparingly FOR THE time being, there are only two places in Denmark where you will run into facial recognition.

One is Brøndby Stadium, where facial recognition is employed as a measure to keep banned football fans from entering, and the other, unsurprisingly, is at passport control at Copenhagen Airport.

In light of the variety of political opinions on the subject, the request from the police, and the recently revealed security package, it seems that its wider usage won't be a reality soon – but it isn’t that far off either.

Raising awareness

Wolf outcry

New leader is heavenly

A ONE-LEGGED American woman is walking across Zealand this November to raise awareness of the plans of Danish insulation manufacturer Rockwool to build a factory in West Virginia, where local residents are up in arms. Tracey Danzey wants to engage civic society on her walk. Rockwool insists it is committed to sustainability and respecting the environment.

A MAN WHOSE ponies were killed by wolves last September has been reported to the police by the pro-wolf association Ulvetid.

The man is a member of Ulvefrit Danmark, an anti-wolf association. In related news, four retired circus elephants have been given a new home by Knuthenborg Safaripark, and nine kangaroos have been stolen from Munkholm Zoo in east Jutland.

ISABELLA Arendt, 26, is the new leader of Kristendemokraterne. She oversaw the party’s last General Election, where it won 1.7 percent of the public vote and very nearly won its first seat in Parliament since losing four mandates in 2005. Her nickname is 'Vikaren fra himlen' ('the Vicar from Heaven').

In related news, Liberal Alliance politician Simon Ammitzbøll-Bille has stepped down as an MP.

VEJLE Municipality in southeast Jutland has confirmed that an upcoming elderly care centre in Gauerslund will be built with an adjoining kindergarten. The proximity will enable the elderly patients to mix with the children from time to time – a scenario that local Liberal Alliance councillor Anja Daugård believes will be healthy for the senior citizens.

Popular PM is a giggle PM METTE Frederiksen has been further endearing herself to the public. First she got the giggles in Parliament during her briefing on some homeless elephants, and now she has shared a photo from her school days in response to news that parents are increasingly looking for the perfect school picture of their kids. Several other MPs also obliged.

Hospital thieves jailed SIX COLOMBIANS, three men and three women, have been sentenced to two and a half years for stealing hospital equipment of a value of 13 million kroner in Herning. In other crime news, 150,000 webshops have been reported to the police for attempting to deceive consumers, and the Council of Europe’s Torture Committee has ruled that many Danish prison cells are too small.

Archive criticism THE CULTURE minister, Rasmus Prehn, has criticised the National Archives for claiming in 2013 that sensitive Nazi-related documents stolen a year earlier had all been found. Five years later, they confessed that thousands of documents remained missing.

Candlesticks stolen TWO BRONZE altar candlesticks in the possession of the Church of our Lady in Aarhus since 1748 have been stolen. But maybe there is hope, as Thorsager Church in east Jutland has recovered 123 of the 143 Kaare Klint designer chairs taken from its premises in early October.

INTERNATIONAL

1 - 14 November 2019

State eyes foreign fighter shortcut

ONLINE THIS WEEK

A GROUP of US Democrats have petitioned the US Department of Foreign Affairs to include the Nordic Resistance Movement, a Nordic extremist group with a presence in Denmark, on a list of current or potential threats to either the US or its allies.

Key Arctic conference THE FOREIGN minister, Jeppe Kofod, recently visited Iceland to take part in the annual Arctic Circle Conference.

The key discussion points were security, sustainable economic development, the climate and living conditions.

Funds to stabilise Syria DENMARK has earmarked 50 million kroner to helping stabilise Syria – primarily in the north and northeast of the country.

Some 30 million will be spent on mine clearance and training locals, while 20 million has been set aside for activities such as the restoration of electricity and water supply.

Mostly from the West

FLICKR/ROGER BLACKWELL

Terror list bid

ONLINE THIS WEEK

Prospective release of IS prisoners from Kurdish-held detainment centres spurs government into action JADE EMERSON HEBBERT

F

OLLOWING Turkey’s invasion of northern Syria, a law to strip foreign fighters of their dual citizenship in absentia has been fast-tracked by the Danish government.

Necessary action THE PROPOSED law would strip dual-citizen Islamic State (IS) fighters of their Danish citizenship and thereby prevent any attempt to re-enter Denmark if released from Kurdish detainment camps.

“These are people who have turned their backs on Denmark and used violence to fight democracy and freedom,” said PM Mette Frederiksen. “They are a threat to all our safety and are unwanted in Denmark.”

Fears have been growing since US President Donald Trump turned his back on the Kurds by pulling US troops out of Syria, asking where they were on D-Day.

jælp has been involved in, among other projects, reconstructing areas damaged by the war and advising the locals on how to disarm live ammunition, such as mines.

United EU decisions MEANWHILE, and at Denmark's insistance, the EU has moved to condemn the Turkish assault and announced a restriction on arms sales to Turkey.

The foreign minister, Jeppe Kofod, said that the action was essential to “ensure that we can still maintain the fight against Islamic State”.

Growing tensions THE GOVERNMENT'S action reflects the escalating tensions between Kurds and Turks brewing both in the Kurdish-controlled areas in northern Syria and locally within Denmark's borders.

Turkey’s assault has strained existing tensions between the two communities in Denmark, including social media discourse, restaurant boycotting, an attack on the Turkish Embassy, and a violent assault on Kurdish demonstrators at the beginning of this year.

Aid organisation exodus IN THE wake of the havoc, a Danish NGO, Folkekirkens Nødhjælp, has ceased its activities in Syria for security reasons.

In Syria, Folkekirkens Nødh-

‘New Danes’ more fervent? A seventh aren’t Danes

Aid to fight hunger DENMARK has confirmed aid of 192 million kroner to help fight hunger – primarily in Africa through donations to the UN and Red Cross. According to the UN, more than 113 million people in 53 countries suffer from hunger – 10 million more than last year.

EU gambling law bid

From allies to pariahs in the blink of an eye

But for the time being, the IS fighters remain detained.

7

Polish pipeline approved

SØREN Gade concedes that persuading the EU to ban gambling and quick loan ads on television might be futile, but at least he and his fellow Danish MEPs will “be able to say we fought for it”. Some 10,000 people in Denmark are gambling addicts and 125,000 have a gambling problem.

Fourth individual charged PET HAS charged a fourth individual with alleged Turkish espionage on Danish soil.

Along with three people charged in March 2018, the individual is accused of collecting information about those associated with the Gülen movement in Denmark.

Victims identified PIXABAY

ENERGISTYRELSEN

HASSE FERROLD

REM

PIXABAY

Busy at the airport

A battle for the minister

Changing face of society

Cutting Denmark in half

Smallest clues help

SOME 67 percent of the new arrivals taking residency in the country hail from the west, while 63 percent of those departing left for another western country. The US led the way in both directions, with 6,393 (2,035 Danes) arriving and 5,635 leaving (1,785). Completing the top five for arrivals were Germany, Romania (both 5,500), the UK (4,544) and Poland (4,283), and for departures were Germany (4,323), Sweden (3,359), the UK (3,209) and Norway (3,032). India (2,918 & 1,591), China (2,400 & 1,668) and Ukraine (2,400 & 959) were the biggest non-western movers. (CW)

ACCORDING to an Immigration and Integration Ministry report, 48 percent of the descendants of non-western immigrants in Denmark think it should be illegal to criticise religion – a higher rate than the 42 percent of immigrants who have been here at least three years. For ethnic Danes, the rate was 20 percent. The survey revealed that many immigrants identify more with feeling Danish than they did a decade ago, while tolerance about homosexuality has also increased. However, increasing numbers of ‘new Danes’ believe women should only marry a man who their family accepts. (CW)

EVERY seventh resident in Denmark is either an immigrant or a direct descendant of an immigrant, according to Danmarks Statistik. The group accounting for the highest number is the Turks with almost 64,000, followed by Poland (over 48,000), Syria (over 42,000), Germany, Romania and Iraq (all over 33,000), Lebanon (over 27,000), Pakistan (over 25,000), Bosnia and Herzegovina (over 23,000), Iran and Somalia (both over 21,000) and Afghanistan (over 19,000). There are currently over 5.8 million people living in Denmark – up from over 4.9 million in 1980. (CW)

DENMARK may be procrastinating regarding Russia’s Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, but its energy agency has approved the Baltic Pipe link traversing Danish territory on its way from Norway to Poland. “Baltic Pipe is expected to contribute to a Polish transition from coal to natural gas, and thus reduce greenhouse emissions,” explained Energistyrelsen. The pipeline is scheduled to land in Denmark from the North Sea at Hostrup Beach in west Jutland, go across Funen to Faxe in Zealand, before heading to Poland via the Baltic Sea. Work is expected to commence in 2020. (CW)

SUPPORTED by Europol’s European Cybercrime Centre specialists and intelligence analysts, 30 law enforcement experts recently went through millions of images and video files of young sexual abuse victims – some as young as a few days old – and were able to identify four children living in the EU, whose well-being is now being safeguarded. Specialists from Denmark, 17 other European countries, the US, Canada, Europol and Interpol analysed digital, visual, and audio content to retrieve vital clues. Europol’s database yielded 48 million images and video files for the operation. (TM)

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SCIENCE

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

1 - 14 November 2019

Leftfield or firm foot forward?

ONLINE THIS WEEK

RECENT heavy rain is seriously jeopardising the potato harvest by rotting the vegetables before they can be unearthed. Some 1020 percent of the total volume will probably be lost, which will hit exports hard, as Denmark tends to sell 95 percent of its annual yield abroad.

Kids love robots A ROBOT school run by volunteers at Teknologiskolen in Odense is proving popular with children.

They principally learn about the coding behind the robots’ automation and a recent donation of 2 million kroner should enable the school can expand into Funen and southern Jutland.

Is the new government on the ball regarding science, or is it just going through the motions?

BEN HAMILTON

T

HE NEW left-wing government and its allies have been busy demonstrating they are in touch with the demands of the modern world, and nowhere has this been clearer than in the realm of science and technology.

Politicians have been falling over one another to express reviews relating to agriculture, health, climate, education and food – but how much of it is prescribed wisdom, and how much of it is pie in the sky?

SOME 3.2 million tonnes of wood pellets were burned in Denmark in 2018 – half a million more than in 2016.

The government claims it is CO2-neutral and that they are Denmark’s biggest green energy source. Some 3 million tonnes were imported – mostly from the Baltics.

AI: serious pledge THE GOVERNMENT is investing 67 million kroner into eight AI projects focusing on the diagnosis and treatment of serious and life-threatening diseases – most notably cancer.

“This is not just about increased efficiency and smoother workflows for employees – it can actually have a direct impact on whether patients survive a critical illness or

Say cheese everyone

Not on the CO2 program

Burning more than ever

PIXABAY/FLEGGARD

Potatoes under threat

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Try telling this bull to give up his land!

not,” explained the health minister, Magnus Heunicke.

Verdict: Sounds serious

Current provisions tend to favour the third grade for testing – the point when most children have attained a reasonable reading proficiency – but the track record isn’t good.

The government also intends to adapt dyslexia tests for children and young people with Danish as a second language.

Verdict: Running before walking

Arable land goal RADIKALE wants to convert one third of Denmark's farmland into nature by 2050 – by asking farmers to volunteer and paying for the land by raising the corporate tax rate for the financial sector.

Ida Auken, the party’s spokesperson for climate issues, reckons 1 billion kroner is needed a year, as “one of the things that really works is taking land out of service, especially the vulnerable soils”.

Verdict: Volunteerism never works

Men love solariums SOME 15 percent of men and 12 percent of women use solariums in Denmark – compared to 16 and 34 percent eleven years ago. Solarium users are 60 percent more likely to get skin cancer. Only 51 percent of the adult population have never used one.

CO2 cuts = more taxes LARS AAGAARD, the CEO of energy advocacy organisation Dansk Energi, has told Berlingske that income tax should be raised in order to meet the goal of a 70 percent CO2 reduction by 2030. However, 44 percent of the public disagree, with only 36 percent backing Aagaard.

Silver cache discovered

Detecting dyslexia PERNILLE Rosenkrantz-Theil, the minister of children and education, wants kids to be tested for dyslexia in kindergarten.

Honey we’re home!

THE FOOD minister, Mogens Jensen, wants to remove the Danish flag from foreign honey jars, as it is “misleading Danish consumers”.

He intends to ask the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration to change the guidelines on manufacturers starting from 2020. A similar practice recently took place in Sweden.

Verdict: Spread the news!

Chinese bangers solution

Diagnostics breakthrough

App to identify mushrooms

A TREASURE of 1,000 silver coins from the Middle Ages – a mix of Danish and northern German from the 1400s – has been found in Vejle close to a forest. A local museum employee joined the dots after several coins were found in the area, and he quickly found the cache with a detector.

KU

DTU

PROXIMA-CENTAURI.DK

AALBORG PORTLAND

MEJERI.DK

Hard cheese, imitators!

And that includes chimneys!

Machine with the answers

Fatima's fanbase is growing

Delicacies or death?

DANISH dairy producers are jubilant following an EU decision to award the Havarti cheese the Protected Geographical Indication logo – previously only given to Danablu, Esrom and Danbo – meaning only home-produced Havarti, using Danish milk and at approved dairies that are regularly checked, will be permitted to use the name. The decision will mean large German and Spanish producers will have to rename their products. Havarti cheese was first produced at Havarthigaard, a farm north of Copenhagen, in the 1850s. Denmark produces around 17 million kilos every year. (TM)

IF DENMARK stands any chance of reaching its ambitious target of reducing its CO2 emissions by 70 percent by 2030, its biggest climate sinners need to get with the program. But that’s not happening. Since 2013, the 95 Danish companies required by EU legislation to restrict their emissions, which account for about half of all Danish industry emissions, have increased their overall CO2 output by 17 percent, with cement producer Aalborg Portland leading the way with 2.2 million tonnes last year – a rise of 33 percent. Only 42 of the companies have managed to reduce emissions. (CW)

THERE’S no denying the Danes love their sausages. But few of them know that Danish sausages are sent thousands of miles to China and back again before ending up on grills or in frying pans, because it is economically viable to send pig intestines to China to have them hand-measured before transporting them back for casing production. But that might soon end, as 73-year-old Danish pensioner Jan Pedersen has invented a machine that can measure the diameter of an intestine in ten seconds, which he hopes will save 70 percent of the costs of using China. (CW)

FATIMA AlZahra’a Alatraktchi, the founder of the medical firm PreDiagnose, has made a splash in the scientific community for her research into diagnostics. Her work involves new sensors for the detection of cellular molecules and micro-organisms in what could be the next generation of technology for early diagnostics for bacterial illnesses. Alatraktchi hopes her technology will not only reduce the time it takes to diagnose a patient, but also provide a tool to prescribe the exact treatment the infection demands, along with greatly reducing antibiotic consumption. (TM)

IF YOU’RE worried your foraged mushrooms might not be fit for the dinner table, there is help on the way. Researchers from the University of Copenhagen have developed a free app that can identify mushrooms – and help foragers avoid the poisonous ones – via digital photo recognition.

The app functions by analysing and identifying users’ photos.

However, researchers warn that mushroom foragers should not solely rely on the app. Poisonous mushrooms tend to cause two deaths every year in Denmark, as well as requiring a further two people to get liver transplants. (CW)

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TRANSPORT

1 - 14 November 2019

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Capital’s widest and trickiest cycle path

FOLLOWING scores of complaints, Metroselskabet has started grinding the remainder of the City Ring. Without the work, which was originally scheduled to start next year, homes in Frederiksberg, Østerbro and Nørrebro can hear the trains every time they pass. In related news, many are complaining about the new bus timetable, which has resulted in a reduced service for many lines.

Polluted roads ACCORDING to Google Street View, there are high levels of ultrafine particles on roads across the city – particularly in the city centre and at motorway entry points, such as Lyngbyvej, which can have levels up to ten times higher than quieter streets.

YULIYA KURYAN

Metro complaints

The fanfare that greeted the reopening of Dybbølsbro Bridge by Fisketorvet has been muffled by the panicked screams of cyclists JADE EMERSON HEBBERT

P

ERHAPS nowhere else can the conflicting spheres of transportation be seen than in Copenhagen, a city where bicycles outnumber people.

Yet the 95 percent of people who agree the city is bike-friendly have met a speed bump in the general ease of this form of green travel at the updated Dybbølsbro Bridge.

Stiffer sentences PARLIAMENT is gearing up to pass legislation to encourage courts to hand out stiffer sentences for dangerous driving. Most cases, however reckless, land sentences of between 16 and 36 months, even though the maximum possible sentence is eight years. Concerned MPs question what framework is required to ensure the right kind of sentences are handed out.

Boeings withdrawn Cyclists aren't the only ones confused

along with colour coding to clearly distinguish the paths and which areas are either car or bicycle-free zones – will be put in place.

DFDS HAS signed a six-month 'Brexit contract' with the UK to transport necessary goods like vital medicines into the country. In related news, DFDS is building an onshore power plant in Copenhagen to reduce pollution from its ferries.

21,000 daily cyclists THE REDESIGNED bridge was opened to an excited public on October 15, as its new cycle path is, with a breadth of ten metres, the widest in the city (beating Dronning Louises Bridge, which is eight metres wide).

At the time of its opening, 21,000 daily cyclists were expected to cross the bridge, which connects Dybbølsbro Station to the Fisketorvet shopping centre.

New signage YET SOMETIMES even solutions require resolutions. Since the reopening, pandemonium has broken out at the end of the bridge at the five-legged intersection where confused cyclists are left to navigate the new double-track bicycle path on the bridge.

The police and administration responsible for the design of the bridge have set out to help cyclists, and more permanent adjustments for safety – including the instalment of new information boards and traffic signage,

Infrastructure fears

Cyclists’ texting concerns

Whole lighthouse moved

Electric scooter games

DFDS signs Brexit deal

9

Growing area THE REDESIGNED bridge is part of a 101 million kroner redevelopment of the area, which will include the addition of 275 bicycle parking spots at the station.

The area is expected to see more bicycle and pedestrian traffic in the near future – particularly due to the forthcoming opening of a new IKEA store nearby.

AN INSPECTION of 31 of SAS’s Boeing 737 NG aircraft has revealed cracks on two of the planes, reports check-in.dk. Worldwide checks have discovered the same problem with 38 aircraft – invariably where the wings are attached to the fuselage. The SAS planes have been withdrawn from service.

Tesla relocation TESLA has decided to shut down its store near Kongens Nytorv in central Copenhagen and open one in the suburb of Hillerød instead, which will enable more test drives and other services. Additionally, Tesla is building a new service workshop in Jutland, reports FDM.

New free city bike PIXABAY

TIM EVANSON/FLICKR

DAVID REIMANN

PXHERE.COM

PIXABAY

Landing at China-hagen

Could cost you 1,000 kroner

Now in a safer location

Accidents waiting to happen?

Not conducive to canals!

A REPORT by the Centre for Military Studies at the University of Copenhagen claims that Danish airports, ports and telecommunications networks are vulnerable to being taken over by foreign interest groups – particularly those in Russia or China, which could obtain sensitive information. For example, Copenhagen Airport is a listed company, and a state-owned company could easily acquire a majority stake. The government does not have an ‘emergency brake’ to stop such deals. “We aren’t taking the threat seriously,” the report’s author André Ken Jakobsson told Berlingske. (BH)

DURING the same week in mid-September that the police confirmed they would be targeting distracted motorists, stories started to circulate on social media that the police are fining cyclists for using their phones whilst pedalling. However, according to a recent campaign, the police have bigger priorities when targeting misbehaving cyclists, even though the offence could land you a 1,000 kroner fine. Of the 254 cyclists recently fined during the ‘Styr Udenom’ campaign by Østjyllands Politi in the east Jutland city of Aarhus, only two were fined for using their mobile phones. (BH)

THE RUBJERG Knude Fyr lighthouse in north Jutland has been moved to save it from crashing into the North Sea in the next 40 years. Its journey took five hours, drawing media from all over the world, including Australia – here to marvel at Danish ingenuity instead of racism for a change. The Guardian – not to miss out on a Danish story with such stunning Nordic Noirish backdrops – entitled its piece “How to move a 120-year-old lighthouse from A to B”. While over on the RTE website in Ireland, one of its readers compared the live feed to “watching paint dry”. (BH)

EVERY time journalists have been short of a story this year, they’ve called up a hospital to get a recap on the number of injuries caused by electric scooters. The result is not so much a national injury figure, but more a number that sounds bad. Bispebjerg & Frederiksberg Hospital in Copenhagen, for example, estimates it has had 50 A&E admissions.

Odense University Hospital started registering the injuries in July and has since recorded 28 admissions. Talks are ongoing regarding their permanent introduction as the end of their one-year trial approaches. (BH)

A FREE shared city bike, ‘Green’, made from recycled parts, was launched by Free Bike Share Community (FBSC) on October 10 in conjunction with the C40 World Mayor Summit in Copenhagen, with more set to follow. Users are encouraged by a sign on the bike to “ride me, share me, care for me”. FBSC is confident the bikes can “increase the usage of shared mobility and be available to those who cannot afford paid alternatives”. However, it conceded that a similar venture in Amsterdam in the 1960s failed – partly because some of the bikes were thrown in the canal. (BH)

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10 CULTURE

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

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ELTON John in his autobiography ‘Me’ has said that scoring cocaine on the Moon would be easier than in Randers. During the late 1980s, John was a guest at Puk Recording Studios, a countryside retreat for musicians in north Jutland. “It was in the middle of winter, icy and completely remote,” he recalled, but he filled the void by discovering the local tipple ‘Nordsøolie’ on nights out in Randers, which he describes as “life-threatening” – the spirit not the city!

Too much confetti!

NORTHSIDE employee Sofie Randel, whose duties include making sure waste disposal is sustainable at the Aarhus music festival, criticised the organisers of the Danish Music Awards at KB Hallen for using too much confetti – as she picked up an award.

Randel was receiving the award on behalf of Resource Warriors, a volunteer group that works for the festival. The big winners on the night were Lukas Graham, who won three awards, and The Minds of 99 and Kesi, who won two.

Doubt over Mads film

R

OGER BANNISTER broke the four-minute barrier in the mile, Bob Hayes became the first to run 100 metres in under ten seconds, and Eliud Kipchoge recently ran a marathon in under two hours.

But none of these suckers can compete with Freja Louise Kristiansen, a 16-year-old efterskole student from Aarhus, who has not only smashed through barrier after barrier to surpass a world record, but has broken it 114 times in the last year.

She's like Sergey Bubka, only she collects tea bag covers.

Laid out together, they'd span New York ... sorry a bit of Nyhavn

Kristiansen started collecting tea bags in 2010 when she got inspired by her grandmother’s hobby of making rosettes out of them – clearly creative genius for the unexpected runs in her genes.

Later, when she started to lose track of how many she had, her older brothers helped her by listing the collection on Excel spreadsheets.

to have more than that in his top drawer), and that she was within 100 with her collection of 650.

"When I found out I was so close, I thought I might as well take the record," she nonchalantly told TV2.

Genius in the genes JUST RECENTLY Kristiansen broke her own Guinness World Record for the largest collection of tea bag covers, increasing it from 1,023, which was documented in June 2018, to 1,237.

Nonchalant ease WHEN THE legendary mountaineer George Leigh Mallory was asked why he wanted to climb Mount Everest, he responded: "Because it's there."

And Kristiansen had a similar response when she discovered in 2017 that the record was only 743 (one of our staff members claims

Tomorrow the world RECENTLY when she embarked to efterskole in Hou, she took the whole collection with her – presumably in a briefcase padlocked to her wrist.

“People have been helpful when they have been travelling.

For example, my older siblings bought some tea bags from abroad," she said.

Just imagine what she can achieve when she finally leaves Jutland.

Look Back in Anger

Snedronningen

Tristan og Isolde

THEATRE

OPERA

OPERA

KGLTEATER.DK

NOMA CHEF René Redzepi spent Sunday tossing pizzas at the acclaimed restaurant Bæst, which was recently named among the world’s best pizzerias. As a guest of Bæst owner Christian Puglisi to celebrate the pizza restaurant’s fifth birthday, he and four other top chefs served up 50 each – which were sold to the public on a first come, first served basis for just 50 kroner each.

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BEN HAMILTON

PER MORTEN ABRAHAMSEN

Rene busy at pizzeria

When Alexander of Macedonia was 33, he cried salt tears because there were no more worlds to conquer. Freja Louise Kristiansen's only 16

THAT THEATRE GROUP

DOUBT has been thrown on the Netflix film starring Mads Mikkelsen as a Danish journalist on a road trip with his teenage daughter in the US. It has been confirmed the film’s script will be based on the writings of Norwegian author Karl Ove Knausgård, the 2020 Hans Christian Andersen Literature Award recipient, who in 2015 penned a travelogue for the New York Times.

Record breakers: it’s all gone to pot FLICKR/AIMEE RIVERS

Easier on the Moon

1 - 14 November 2019

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BRITISH director Helen Parry impressively helmed her troops to great effect – particularly in the scenes that demanded physicality. Regardless of whether it was a father bonding with his daughter, a man and woman platonically hugging, or two lovers lasciviously devouring one another, her assured hand was most noticeable throughout. While the five-member cast all gave performances worthy of mention, the night belonged to the two leads. Søren Højen had a truly compelling presence as Jimmy, while 22-year-old Alex Jespersen gave a soul-baring performance as his wife. (BH)

‘SNEDRONNINGEN’ is the first opera of the Danish composer Hans Abrahamsen, who the Guardian recently hailed as one of the best music writers this century, and this was the worldwide premiere. Transformed into a chilling adult tale of the harsh realities of experience, similar to what Angela Carter does with traditional fairy tales, it is a mature, mesmerising and striking creation. However, the choice to make it minimalist and austere calibrates our emotional response and could lead to the feeling that the audience is too distant from the action. (BG)

THIS PRODUCTION is all about the orchestra. In Bayreuth, Wagner started a revolution in music, expanding considerably the size of the orchestra until it reached 100. Inspired by that vision, this production places the vast orchestra not in the pit but on the stage, where, producing a huge wave of sounds, it becomes the soul of the opera. All in all, the orchestra generates a sense of suspense that endures throughout, from the famous chord of the beginning, to the 'Liebestod', the song of love’s death, in which the two lovers look forward to a happy union in the life to come. (BG)

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More angling spots plea DANMARKS Sportsfiskerforening, the country’s angling association, would like Copenhagen to permit fishing in more areas along its waterfronts – particularly during winter. Presently the areas where fishing is allowed stretch for 37 km – following a huge rise from 7 km introduced by the municipality in 2015.

Happy days in Verbier THE CROWN Prince Couple’s decision to send all of their children to an international school in Verbier, Switzerland has generated hundreds of hateful comments on the website of the Daily Mail – mostly from readers outraged that the children would be separated from their parents for so long. Few readers commented on Verbier being Mary’s favourite skiing resort, however.

Whisky glory JIM MURRAY'S Whisky Bible, the spirit’s equivalent of the Michelin Guide, has named ‘Thy Whisky No 9 Bøg Single Malt’ as the best 'Whisky in Europe'. Thy Whisky, which was only founded in 2010, said the honour went beyond “our wildest dreams”. The category does not include whiskies from Scotland and Ireland.

All coming soon IRISH band The Script are performing at TAP1 on March 17.

Among the other acts to announce dates next year are NZ-Australian star Keith Urban (Falkoner Salen; May 29), British singer-songwriter Sam Fender (Amager Bio; March 10), 1980s British band Level 42 (DR Koncerthuset; Nov 19-21) and British singer-songwriter Freya Ridings (Vega; Feb 10).

Challenge to architects THE UTZON Center in Aalborg is again challenging architects to make a 3D model of one of Jørn Utzon’s unfinished projects – this time an underground theatre in Lebanon. The Danish architect famously designed the Sydney Opera House, but never saw the finished structure.

SPORT

1 - 14 November 2019

Domesday Day in Dublin ditto

ONLINE THIS WEEK All hail 'The Lord'

All hail the Grandmaster

He came of age on the Isle of Man

NICKLAS Bendtner gladly posed for photos with a fan who travelled all the way from Singapore to meet him in mid-October. In a video posted on the FCK website, Thomas Choy reveals why he has followed The Lord’s entire career, collecting the 'Bendtner' shirts of all his various clubs.

JONAS Buhl Bjerre has become a chess grandmaster at the age of just 15 – the youngest in Danish history by four full years. Since winning the under-14s European championship in 2017, Bjerre’s career has really kicked on, and a strong performance at a recent Isle of Man tournament saw him achieve the necessary standard.

Three cycling golds on track DENMARK won three cycling golds at the 2019 UEC Track Championships in Apeldoorn in the Netherlands, including a double in the men’s and women’s Madison event. Lasse Norman Hansen and Michael Mørkøv won the men’s, and Julie Leth and Amalie Dideriksen the women’s. In total Denmark won four medals, placing it fourth in the medals table.

FCK set European record WITH A 1-1 draw away at Dynamo Kiev in the Europa League on October 24, FC Copenhagen set a new record for the number of consecutive European competition games without conceding more than one goal. Its 24-game run, which started in February 2018, surpasses the run notched up by the great AC Milan side of the early 1990s.

Astralis back on top DANISH eSports team Astralis has returned to the top of the world rankings following a recent blip – a semi-final loss to Swedish team Fnatic in the semi-final of the Dreamhack Masters – which ended a 14-month run as number one.

Brøndby axes Dubai BRØNDBY has axed Dubai as a travel destination for their training camps, citing the UAE’s human rights record, criticism from its fans and the caliber of opponents it faced in the area. FC Copenhagen cut its ties with the city earlier this year.

Danish Open blow-out THERE wasn’t much to celebrate for Danish badminton, despite home advantage at the Denmark Open in mid-October. Viktor Axelsen was the best performer, losing in the men's semis.

DBU eyes new national stadium THE DBU football association has expressed an interest in establishing a new national football arena that can seat at least 50,000 fans. Its current home at Parken, which it shares with FC Copenhagen, can only hold 38,065. The DBU is keen to host big tournament games and is hopeful it can complete a new stadium, or develop a current one, by 2025.

Ballon bid #2 for Harder DANISH forward Pernille Harder is among 20 women vying for the Women’s 2019 Ballon d’Or title – the trophy handed out by FIFA to the best player in the world. Harder was runner-up to Ada Hegerberg of Norway last year.

Kayaker storms home DANISH marathon kayaker Mads Brandt Pedersen, 22, recently won two golds at the ICF Canoe Marathon World Championships in Shaoxing, China – in the under-23 and senior categories.

Rare Serie A hat-trick ANDREAS Cornelius scored a hat-trick for his Serie A club Parma on October 20 – the first Dane to do so in the Italian top flight since Harald Nielsen for Bologna in 1963.

Gridiron glory bid finished DENMARK’S brave bid to win the IFAF 2020 Men’s European Championships in gridiron has ended at the hands of Finland, who they lost to 3-44 in Vantaa on Sunday. Thanks to a 22-19 defeat of the Dutch at Gentofte Sportspark on October 19 – their first Euro home qualifier since 2003 – Denmark will now contest places fifth to eighth.

CHRISTIAN WENANDE

DANSK SKAK UNION

FCK

Flying the flag for the Dynamite

11

Denmark will again need a result in the Irish capital to qualify for a major tournament CHRISTIAN WENANDE

Strong support needed in Dublin

O

on November 15 and Gibraltar away three days later.

NCE AGAIN, Denmark's bid to reach a major football tournament is going down to the wire. And once again, it's all set to happen in a fierce battle in Dublin. Providing there are no major upsets in the other games, a draw will be enough on November 18.

The Danes had hoped that Ireland would take points off Switzerland on October 15 – a result that would have seen the Danes qualify with a win at home against minnows Gibraltar on November 15.

But the Swiss shook off their dramatic 0-1 defeat at Parken three days earlier – a game they would have surely won had it not been for the heroics of keeper Kasper Schmeichel – beating the Irish 2-0 to set up an all too familiar finale for the Danes.

The result leaves Ireland and Denmark equal on 12 points, followed by the Swiss on 11 points, who face Georgia at home

Russia and Parken beckons A LOSS in Dublin would see Ireland qualify by virtue of a better head-to-head record following the 1-1 draw at Parken.

The Danes will be hoping for a repeat of the famous 5-1 dismantling of the Irish in Dublin in the 2018 World Cup playoff in late 2017. In fact, since then, their only ‘loss’ was the elimination from the World Cup on penalties to Croatia.

The Danes have found it hard to score against the Irish, as three of their last five competitive fixtures have ended in 0-0 draws.

But even if Denmark fails to qualify, they will still have a chance to qualify via the European Nations League playoffs next March.

Should they make it by either route, they’ll be in the same group as Russia and play all their group games at Parken.

12 BUSINESS

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

ONLINE THIS WEEK

1 - 14 November 2019

Country before career: Playing it safe CHRISTIE’S

Novozymes CEO quits DANISH biotech company Novozymes has decided to replace Peder Holk Nielsen, its CEO, following a series of annual result downgrades. He will officially depart next year. The poor prospects have resulted in Novozymes laying off 330 workers, of whom 123 are based in Denmark.

Novo number two

The Vikings were adventurous travellers, but not modern day Danes

Unadventurous Danes more likely to shun interesting jobs abroad than most nationalities

Paper prototypes

BEN HAMILTON

DURING the C40 World Mayors Summit, Carlsberg unveiled two new prototypes of the Green Fibre Bottle, which is recyclable and sustainably produced using a PEF polymer film barrier that enables the vessel to contain beer.

Together with the likes of Coca-Cola and L’Oréal, it is forming a ‘paper bottle community’.

UST 49 PERCENT of Danes would take an interesting job abroad, according to the latest Randstad Workmonitor survey, making it the worst performing nation.

Fellow Scandinavian countries Norway (63) and Sweden (65), and even the travel-shy US (66), fared better. The global average was 69 percent.

AmCham amour for Amgen US BIOPHARMACEUTICAL company Amgen has been named 'Foreign Company of the Year' by the American Chamber of Commerce. According to AmCham, foreign companies investing in Denmark comprise only 1.2 percent of the private sector companies, but generate more than 20 percent of the jobs.

Second best gender gap ACCORDING to job solutions website AppJobs, the gender pay gap for self-employed people in Denmark is among the lowest in the world. The results, based on OECD figures, revealed that self-employed women in Denmark earn 7 percent less than their male counterparts – good enough for second place overall behind Estonia.

Pension pharma palaver DANISH pension firms are under fire for investing heavily in pharma companies blamed for fuelling the ongoing opioid crisis that has cost the lives of hundreds of thousands of people over the last decade in the US. All but one of the 16 biggest pension firms in Denmark have invested in Johnson & Johnson, which has been found liable in several states.

Rekom the biggest REKOM Group now owns over 100 bars and nightclubs in the Nordic countries, making it the region's largest operator. It recently acquired a total of 18 bars including the nightclub network NOX, and it has doubled its annual revenue since 2015 to 573 million kroner.

ONLINE THIS WEEK

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“And missing out on the good and safe education system in Denmark is probably a factor too.”

Money over meaning SOME 52 percent would consider emigrating if they could improve their career and worklife balance (global average 64), 49 percent would be willing to emigrate for a substantially higher salary (59) and 42 percent would be willing to emigrate to have a meaningful career (54).

There was one category in which the Danes finished above the global average: their love of their country over their career.

Some 61 percent would rather switch careers than emigrate (54).

50 percent of Danes want to work within walking or cycling distance from their home (68) – the second lowest of the 34 countries.

Their strong environmental conviction came through in the finding that only 37 percent want to be able to travel internationally for their work (58).

Environmental conviction PERHAPS surprisingly for such a big cycling nation, only

Anywhere but Sweden IF THEY were forced to work abroad, the Danes would prefer to work in Norway, the US and Germany.

The Norwegians chose Denmark, Sweden and the UK, while Sweden opted for Norway, Denmark and the UK, suggesting the Danes don’t overly like the prospect of working in Sweden and, unlike their Scandinavian cousins, prefer the idea of pursuing a career among the Americans over the Brits.

Still competitive

Bank facing more woes

Startup slip

DENMARK has been ranked tenth for global competitiveness by the World Economic Forum. Denmark fared well for economic stability, a flexible and adaptable labour market, and good access to well-educated labour. Singapore displaced the United States to go top, followed

by Hong Kong and the Netherlands. Meanwhile, Sweden has edged up a place to eighth.

DANSKE Bank is facing a second wave of lawsuits filed on behalf of institutional investors, taking the total number of plaintiffs to 232, and represented countries to 22. The New York-driven claims are seeking compensation of around 800 million dollars. In related news, the Estonian government has consulted NY lawyers about also seeking compensation.

DENMARK has fallen nine places to 16th in the Startup Ecosystem Rankings compiled

by Startup Blink, slipping behind Sweden (7) and Finland (12), but well ahead of Norway (46) and Iceland (58). The top four – the US, the UK, Canada and Israel – were unchanged from 2017.

Copenhagen, meanwhile, fell two places to 73rd, well clear of Aarhus (220) and Odense (682).

Poor partner support “IT REQUIRES your partner to prioritise his or her career lower than yours – at least for a period.

And that can be a major challenge,” commented Randstad human resources director Tine Ryg Cebrian.

WHILE Maersk remains the biggest Danish company with a net turnover of 246 billion kroner, according to Børsen’s annual list of the top 1,000, Novo Nordisk (111.8) has stormed past Danske Bank (97.5) to take second place. In related news, Novo recently oversaw the world’s first insulin delivery by drone.

Climate hits housing HOUSING prices are falling as a result of climate change, according to Kristian K Kjeldsen, a researcher at GEUS, the national geological survey for Denmark and Greenland. Property in areas affected by major flooding and generally rising water levels have seen a downturn, he claims.

Lots of lay-offs expected BOTH NORDEA and Ørsted have confirmed that they will be laying off staff to cut costs over the next year. Nordea aims to reduce its costs by 5.1-6.0 billion kroner and also relocate 20 percent of its employees, while Ørsted wants to save 500-600 million every year until 2022, estimating that half the savings can be achieved through redundancies.

Pickled pink PIG FARMERS across Denmark are happy as the price of pork, 12.80 kroner per kilo, is at its highest since 2001, thanks to a low global supply and outbreaks of swine fever in Africa and Asia.

Demand is also high due to the forthcoming Chinese New Year celebrations at the end of January.

1 - 14 November 2019

BUSINESS OPINION

SØREN BREGENHOLT THE VALLEY OF LIFE As the chairman of the Medicon Valley Alliance – the gold-labelled Danish-Swedish life science cluster organisation – Søren will address current trends and challenges in the sector.

Look south, look north DENMARK and Sweden are the only two Nordic countries that can realistically aspire to such an ambitious goal, but we cannot do it individually. Decision-makers in Denmark need to look to the east and northeast, and decision-makers in Stockholm need to look south and southeast.

The international life science companies have embraced this idea even more than the pioneers of our local life science eco-system, as Global Medicon Valley Alliance member com-

NEIL SMITH

Join us and grow!

AND FOR a good reason: during the last 12 months we have successfully organised R&D and business-related meetings, seminars and workshops bringing together several hundred life science executives, researchers, investors and public decision-makers to explore and discuss how best to develop and commercialise existing and future strongholds within, for instance, oncology and microbiome R&D, medtech development, and infertility treatment.

We are already engaging more than 250 companies and Combined with concerns that property prices in Copenhagen may again be unnaturally high, this could be problematic.

And as a small, relatively open economy, Denmark will inevitably be buffeted by wider concerns.

After Ireland and the Netherlands, Denmark is one of the closest EU economies to the UK. Brexit, particularly a disorderly one, is therefore a clear risk for importers, as is Trump’s threats to put tariffs on certain EU goods.

organisations, but we have room for more! This is an open invitation to the innovative small and medium-sized companies in the region. Join us, grow your business and become an active part of our vibrant life science community!

‘Yes we can’ AT THE upcoming Danish-Swedish life science summit on November 4, we will do it again. We will bring together 200-plus life science companies and organisations, hoping once again to bring the regional perspective back into focus.

We have set the scene for a ‘Yes we can’ discussion! As our special guest of honour, we have invited Ibrahim Baylan, the Swedish minister for business, industry and innovation, to come to Copenhagen and help us raise the awareness of

On the verge of greatness

Sweden´s potential as a partner.

If successful, the regional life science collaboration can hopefully be firmly anchored nationally as well. Doing that will allow the two leading life science nations of the Nordics to develop a cluster greater and stronger than the sum of its parts – and, by doing so, continue to harvest the fruits of an innovative industry second to none for health-related and economic contributions to society.

unemployment in immigrant communities, although coming down, remains astronomically high.

To compound the matter, potential solutions like differentiated wage rates, or government support for certain long-term employees, are objected to by trade unions.

PIXABAY

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HILST British PM Boris Johnson recently illegally suspended Parliament, and US President Donald Trump faces an impeachment inquiry, new Danish PM Mette Frederiksen has faced far less turbulent times, particularly as a ferocious Venstre power struggle has taken up all the domestic focus in recent months.

panies such as Pfizer, Roche and, most recently, Amgen have decided to tap into the regional Danish-Swedish ecosystem and actively support the development of the regional and bi-national cluster.

PIXABAY

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IVEN THE infancy of the Danish and Swedish national life science strategies, this is a unique window of opportunity to strengthen the co-ordination and collaboration needed to firmly establish Medicon Valley as the leading life science cluster of northern Europe.

First job is the hardest MEANWHILE, many of the structural issues facing the Danish economy remain.

For example, Denmark’s high de facto minimum wage, although providing decent wages for those in work, results in employers taking on fewer staff at entry level positions. This is a big reason why

Bring back rationing?

THE BIGGEST issue remains the demographic challenges facing a country that famously has a generous welfare system.

Nevertheless, while the natural birth rate is stagnating, there are a number of solutions.

One is immigration, but that is hugely controversial. Another is an increase in taxation, but there is general agreement that one of the world's highest tax takes is close to its natural limit. And a final option is to ration services, but that is hugely controversial in

a country where meaningful government support where required is seen as part of the culture.

Presently, there is no agreement about where to introduce these measures. Frederiksen has made a solid start – partly aided by the focus on the more gripping events elsewhere. Before long, though, focus will turn, and there is work to be done to ensure Denmark’s currently benign economic climate continues.

Choosing the right priorities

Neil is a Scottish-educated lawyer with 18 years’ experience in corporate structuring and general commercial matters. Based in Copenhagen, he primarily advises on international deals.

Out of the office, his interests include sports and politics. His column explores topical international financial and economic issues from a Danish perspective.

Tiny bit of envy perhaps DENMARK is in a fairly enviable position. Growth since the financial crisis has been steady, if unspectacular; unemployment is moderate; there is a whopping current account deficit; and Denmark enjoys one of the lowest levels of public debt in the developed world.

Nobody should be lulled into a false sense of security though.

Although public debt is low, private debt in Denmark is high by international standards.

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IN 2 ISSUES

IN 3 ISSUES

IN 4 ISSUES

IN 5 ISSUES

Economics Explained

Startup Community

Fit For Business

Mind over Managing

DANISH CAPITAL IN 2019

We're Welcome – Honest!

Global Denmark

13

Union Views

Give Yourself a Chance

UK-DK Trade

14 OPINION

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

1 - 14 November 2019

Quiet ... with no storm in sight

T

HE FINANCE minister, Nicolaj Wammen, has presented his first proposal for the 2020 budget law and the reception has been remarkably … well, unremarkable.

Where’s the opposition?

THE OPPOSITION is not visible at all. Venstre is digesting new leadership and keeping a low profile – only Konservative might attempt to improve its position by trying to get on the bandwagon and support the bill.

All in all, it is expected to land in shallow waters and when PM Mette Frederiksen begins work towards a differentiated pension reform, that’s when things will really get exciting.

She won the election on this platform, but can she deliver?

It looks like mission impossible as she might please a few, but

Foreign fighter fracas AS BUDGET negotiations persist, a new law proposal seeks to introduce a procedure for stripping dual citizenship foreign fighters of their Danish passports. Debate centres not specifically on the material issue, but rather whether it should be in the hands of the government or the courts.

The present proposal includes a paragraph that would give courts influence after the citizenship has been stripped, but only if demanded by the individual.

But if those individuals are locked away in some prison camp in Syria, it’s unlikely that they will be informed about the decision and how to react to it. It looks to be just another austerity measure against humanity.

Crackle of contention THE STRIPPING of citizenship means that Denmark will no longer be forced to accept these individuals if they turn up at the border again, and we no longer have diplomatic responsibility if they are detained somewhere.

Fortunately, strong personalities have begun voicing protests We will see. (ES)

Straight, No Chaser An Englishman abroad, Stephen has lived and worked in Denmark since 1978. His interests include music, art, cooking, real ale, politics and cats.

H

AVING lived in Denmark for over 40 years, there are fewer and fewer things that still make me feel truly British. However, one such event is coming around shortly – no, not Halloween nor Guy Fawkes Night, but the annual Christmas Pudding making weekend.

In the Gadd kitchen, the last weekend of October becomes “some corner of a foreign field [or Søborg at least!] that is forever England”.

The late October date was chosen largely because it is close to my daughter's birthday. When she still lived at home, making the pudding was a great excuse for a bit of serious father-daughter bonding. It also allowed enough time for the pudding to mature before the great day.

Foreign interlopers LIKE MARMITE, Christmas Pudding really divides the waters: you either love it or you hate it.

Last year, the Evening Standard in Britain reported that “sales of Christmas Puddings are said to have declined in recent years – with millennials apparently displaying a preference for panettone”. This may change post-Brexit of course, as any true Brexiteer should resolutely turn their back on this upstart foreign import.

Anyway back to chez Gadd, where Christmas just wouldn't be Christmas without a large helping of that dark, rich, spicy, aromatic, boozy fruit overload – a sceptred isle swimming in a sea of almond-flavoured sweet white sauce.

From coffin to cannonball THERE is some doubt about the history of the Christmas

BRITISH LIBRARY

All quiet on the reddish front THE RED-BLOC support parties have been wise enough to avoid ultimate demands, perhaps in response to the previous government’s self-inflicted wounds, which were caused when Anders Samuelsen, the former head of Liberal Alliance party, demanded tax cuts … or else. It seems like everyone has learned from that lesson.

Instead it’s been smooth sailing with advice and not threats being offered up – although a considerable amount of the 2.5 billion kroner budget is to be negotiated in co-operation with the supporting parties.

Taxes won’t be reduced but rather increased to prepare for CO2 reduction initiatives.

will surely disappoint the majority.

On top of that, the government’s climate ambition will need to be translated into legislation. Are the farmers in the spotlight for their massive reductions of farmland and fertiliser use? They will not go down without a fight and could be the Venstre’s best chance of resurrection.

STEPHEN GADD

A feast for sore eyes? Don't get too close to the holly!

Pudding, but it is fairly safe to say the all-fruit version we know today has its origins in a pastry 'coffin' containing minced meat as well as fruit – and another dish known as a plum pottage.

Recipes for the latter date back to the 17th century.

In 'The Cookery of England', Elizabeth Ayrton cites a recipe from Edinburgh from around 1700, which is rather like the modern pudding. Eliza Acton specifically calls a round pudding comprised of flour, fruits, suet, sugar and spices topped with holly a Christmas Pudding in her 1845 book 'Modern Cookery for Private Families'.

Victorian values PART OF 'plugging into my roots' is to use a recipe my mum used and got from her mother.

The first year I used it I hadn't realised it made two puddings, so we had one ready for the following year as well.

When Mum died, I also inherited her steamer. This formidable three-tier Victorian

steel affair is now a rich mahogany-colour through use. It was also owned by my grandmother and was second-hand when she bought it, so it must be around 150 years old.

Full steam ahead THE WHOLE process takes two days – mixing the ingredients on day one before leaving it overnight, and then steaming the pudding for seven hours the next day.

Before the mixture goes into basins, everyone in the household (including the cats!) stirs it and makes a wish. Unfortunately, we've had to dispense with the silver coins and lucky charms I remember from my childhood – apart from the risk to our guests' teeth, silver coins are not easy to come by anymore.

Now that my daughter has a family of her own, I'm hoping that one day she will carry on the Christmas Pudding tradition in her own home, using the same recipe and vintage steamer. I'm sure it would make her great-grandmother proud.

OPINION

1 - 14 November 2019

15

NEXT ISSUE

VIVIENNE MCKEE

Crazier than Christmas

Straight Up

Vivienne McKee, Denmark’s best-known English entertainer, is this country’s most beloved foreign import. Over the last 36 years, hundreds of thousands of Copenhageners have enjoyed her annual Crazy Christmas Cabaret show at CRAZY 2019 Tivoli,CHRISTMAS marvelling at her unique, wry Anglo wit and charm.

ZACH KHADUDU

A Dane Abroad KIRSTEN LOUISE PEDERSEN

LONDON TOAST THEATRE

IN 2 ISSUES

Mackindergarten ADRIAN MACKINDER

Early Rejser ADAM WELLS IN 3 ISSUES Vivienne and Crazy Christmas regulars Andrew Jeffers (left) and David Bateson (right)

G

And last year, in ‘Fogg’s Off: Around the World in 80 Days’, Trump was a sleazy businessman snatching land from the Native Americans and colluding with a Russian count called Bootin.

IVEN THAT it will soon Dumas’ big dummies be time for Christmas, new I CHOSE to focus on Boris readers of the CPH POST and Brexit way back in January might be interested to know that when the deadline for leaving the every year my English theatre EU was at the end of March. I in Copenhagen presents Crazy planned to write a show based Christmas Cabaret, a wild, upon this outcome. However, nine roarious comedy at the Glassalen His big blond buddy months later, there is still no sign theatre in the heart of Tivoli, THIS YEAR I decided to give of any conclusion on a hard, soft which has absolutely nothing to the US president a rest. Apart or No-Deal exit. At the time of do with the festive period. from anything else, it’s impos- going to print, Boris’s latest deadEvery year I write the comedy sible to keep up with his stream line was the end of October. based on a new theme performed of gaffes, mistakes and stupidity, In my profession, we have the 12.

2019 11.I would JANbe 2020 in English by a team of top pro-NOV as it would mean- that saying ‘the show must go on’, fessional comedy actors. The constantly re-writing and editing and so our show must open TICKETS: 3315 1001 | TEATERBILLETTER.DK | BILLETLUGEN.DK on November 11. Thousands show is packed with gags, farce, my script. slapstick, ‘panto-inspired’ nonSo instead I chose to focus of tickets have been sold (I am IT’S FUN FOR ALL - AND ALL FOR FUN happy to say) and the audience sense, toe-tapping music, insane on the British Trump!

IT’S THE THREE BREXITEERS characters and, most particularly, British PM Boris Johnson, expects a show called ‘The Three satire relating to topical subjects. who is suspected of misusing his Brexiteers’ loosely based on the previous position as lord mayor famous Alexander Dumas story.

Three times Trump of London and is known to have But how do I resolve a Brexit FOR THE last three years I have offended many nations as the story which, at the time of writing, extracted as much satire as I can former foreign minister, is now is unresolved? How do three musfrom the endless egocentricity of Britain’s undemocratically-elect- keteers in 17th-century France President Trump. In my 'Robin ed prime minister. become three Brexiteers, and what Hood' show (2016), Trump was He is more literate than exactly are they fighting for?

To find out the answer to these a petulant Sheriff of Notting- Trump but, in spite of his ability ham eager to build a wall around to use words of more than two questions, and whether I succeed Sherwood Forest. syllables, he is as narcissistic and in guessing the outcome of the real In ‘Planet Rump, the Farce bombastic in his opinions as his Brexit, is for you to find out when Awakens’ (2017), he sought to big blond counterpart and thus, you come to Tivoli. One thing I can destroy other planets and take I think, deserves a sharply satir- guarantee is that this year’s show control of the universe. ical portrayal in this year’s show. will be ‘All for Fun and Fun for all!’

GLASSALEN, TIVOLI

An Actor’s Life IAN BURNS

Living Faith REVD SMITHA PRASADAM IN 4 ISSUES

The Road Less Taken JESSICA ALEXANDER

Mishra’s Mishmash MRUTYUANJAI MISHRA

16 COMMUNITY

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

ABOUT TOWN

1 - 14 November 2019

PHOTOS BY HASSE FERROLD

Harry Glawe (right), the minister for economics, employment and health at the German federal state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, was the guest of honour at the celebration of the Day of German Unity on October 8 at Axelborgsalen, which was hosted by ambassador Detlev Runger (centre left). Also in attendance were Simon Kollerup (centre right), the Danish minster for industry, business and financial affairs, and Nigerien ambassador Amadou Tcheko (left), the dean of the Diplomatic Corps

Hungarian ambassador Kristof Altusz (left) was the host of a special event at Gentofte Library on September 18. ‘Politics behind the iron curtain’, which was part of the Golden Days festival, considered the change of regime in Hungary following the Velvet Revolution in 1989, and a panel discussion included Mogens Lykketoft, the former MP and speaker of Parliament, and Zoltán Kovács, the Hungarian minister for international relations. The event was also attended by (left-right) Czech ambassador Radek Pech, Austrian ambassador Maria RotheiserScotti and Luxembourg’s ambassador Janine Finck

Uganda celebrated its national day at Hellerup Park Hotel on October 9. Among those present were Luxembourg’s ambassador Janine Finck, Burkina Faso’s ambassador Maria-Goretti Agaleoue, Austrian ambassador Maria Rotheiser-Scotti and Ugandan ambassador Nimisha Madhvani

The Czech Embassy hosted ‘In the Footsteps of Queen Dagmar’, a concert at Christians Kirke on September 26. Czech ambassador Radek Pech took to the stage to complement the performance of the Mendík mixed choir from České Budějovice

Italian President Sergio Mattarella made an official visit to Denmark on October 8 on which he met the queen and prime minister (not pictured) and also visited the Italian Institute of Culture

UAE ambassador Fatema Khamis Almazrouei was among those at the VisitUAE Road Show at the Marriott Hotel on October 28, which informed visitors about the experiences available to tourists in the Middle East country

1 - 14 November 2019

COMMUNITY

17

Spain celebrated its national day on October 11 with a reception at the residence of ambassador Román Oyarzun Marchesi in Østerbro.

Among those in attendance were (left-right) Swiss ambassador Florence Tinguely Mattli, German ambassador Detlev Rünger, Turkish ambassador Uğur Kenan İpek, Russian ambassador Vladimir Barbin, Croatian ambassador Tina Krce, Hungarian ambassador Kristof Altusz, Saudi ambassador Fahad Alruwaily, Austrian ambassador Maria Rotheiser-Scotti and Cypriot ambassador Penelope Erotokritou

Ben Hamilton (centre), the editor of CPH POST, was kept busy at the Lyngby-Taarbæk City of Knowledge careers event ‘Årets Karriereevent’ at BMW Experience Center Jan Nygaard in Lyngby on October 25, where locally-based foreign business students were able to speak faceto-face with recruitment consultants about their prospects of finding a job once they have completed their studies. The event’s main organiser, City of Knowledge chief executive Marianna Lubanski, addressed those present, who included her own brother, Nikolai Lubanski, the director of talent attraction at Copenhagen Capacity

A perennial highlight of Tivoli’s Halloween season, which ends on November 3, is the biggest pumpkin contest. This year’s winner weighed 446.3 kilos, a long way short of the 589.4 kilo record set last year

Romanian ambassador Mihai-Alexandru Gradinar and his wife Andreea were joined by Hans Hermansen, the CEO of CPH POST, at their stand at CBS Diversity Day on October 8

Croatia was among the countries represented at the Rejsemesse for Kvalitetsrejser travel fair at Øksnehallen from October 19-20

The new Japansese ambassador agrée is Manabu Miyagawa. Yōkoso!

18 EVENT

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

1 - 14 November 2019

Presidents, philanthropists, politicians and pioneers: with one purpose in mind PHOTOS: HASSE FERROLD Some of the world’s leading politicians gathered in Copenhagen over the second weekend of October for the C40 World Mayors Summit

ALL PHOTOS ROSELYNE MIN UNLESS STATED

The prestigious C40 World Mayors Summit took place in Copenhagen from October 9-12.

Among its themes were diversity, vitality, impact and the will to change. As the official host, the pressure was on Copenhagen Mayor Frank Jensen (centre) to put on a good spread. Among Jensen’s many guests were his Los Angeles and Paris counterparts, Eric Garcetti (right) and As is customary at such events, the many delegates all took to the stage for a group shot, Anne Hidalgo (left), who recently swapped seats with Garcetti taking over as the C40 chair with Jensen (of course) taking a position up front and centre

The event attracted some of the biggest names in world politics including (left-right) Al Gore, the former US vice president who lost the presidential election to George W Bush in 2000; the US business and media mogul Michael Bloomberg, the mayor of New York from 2002-13, who caught up with the event's esteemed guest of honour, UN Secretary General António Guterres, before his joint press conference with PM Mette Frederiksen; and 30-year-old US Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who is currently in the race to become the Democratic nominee in the 2020 Presidential Election

Participants from China (left), Ethiopia and South Africa (centre) and France (right) were in attendance, with French ambassador Caroline Ferrari (head turned) providing the latter with a reception at her embassy

COMMUNITY

1 - 14 November 2019

F

OR CENTURIES the social and sporting highlight of many people’s lives was a trip to the racetrack, but now it has a serious rival in Copenhagen: the game of conkers.

However, these are worrying times for the sport as the horse chestnut tree is becom-

ing endangered in many parts of Europe, and Denmark is no exception.

A visit to the Lakes in Copenhagen confirms that many of the trees already have brown and dessicated leaves – a sign that the horse chestnut leaf miner moth has taken resi-

dence and will very likely stay until the trees die.

Professional conker players are rightly considering their options, but that didn’t prevent a strong turnout at this year’s Copenhagen Conker Championship.

A tense affair eventually

ended with Liam ‘Fluffy’ Duffy seeing off Mathis ‘the Norwegian Knobbler’ Kvalnes to retain the title for the second year running.

“I’d like to thank Charlies Bar and the Copenhagen Post for again supporting the event,” said event organiser Jon Nunn.

The Laughing Out Learning conference is a must if you wish to improve your humour and public speaking skills. Don’t miss the Humourous Speech Contest, and there will be a number of workshops (Nov 9, 10:00-18:30; International House CPH, Gyldenløvesgade 11, Cph V; 300-400kr. billietto.dk)

DANSKE STUDERENDES FÆLLESRÅD FACEBOOK PAGE

LAUGING OUT LOUD FACEBOOK PAGE

BOOKS & COMPANY

The new novel ‘Probably the Best Kiss in the World’ is partly set in Copenhagen. Its author Pernille Hughes will be at Books & Company for a reading and a talk about the journey that led to the publication of this romantic comedy (Nov 13, 19:00; Sofievej 1, Hellerup, booksandcompany.dk)

Did you know Halloween was an Irish tradition dating back hundreds of years? Kennedy’s Irish bar is throwing a legit Oiche Shamhna party with cocktails exclusively designed for the day by top-notch bartenders from the Royal Radisson Hotel and Generator Hostel Bar. And there’s also a raffle (Nov 2, 18:00; Kennedy’s Irish bar, Gl. Kongevej 23, Cph; free adm)

Irish comedians Chris Kent and Aine Gallagher are promising an unforgettable night out. Kent has performed both on TV and on stage, while Gallagher is relatively new on the scene. Yet, she has a special talent: equipping her audience with fully functional Irish language skills (Nov 7, 20:00; Dubliner Downtown, Ny Østergade 14; 110-130kr, billetto.dk)

Sometimes it’s hard being different, but don’t stay silent. If you are part of a Danish-international family, you can join this event and share your experiences by producing an art piece with the assistance of an art therapist. The artworks will be exhibited afterwards at Vesterbro Bibliotek (Nov 7, 18 -21; Lyrskovgade 4, 1758 Cph V, Free adm; register via ubegraenset@gmail)

“The Copenhagen Conker Championship will be holding a large benefit concert to raise awareness of this issue.

We are trying to contact the very reverend Sir Bob Geldof as we would like him to attend dressed as a conker.”

DAVE SMITH

PIXABAY

PIXABAY

COMING UP SOON

19

Danske Studerendes Fællesråd is organising a seminar for students to discuss free and equal access to education. Everyone is welcome, but sign up to receive a free lunch! (Nov 3, 10:00-16:00; Akademikertårnet, Lindevangs Alle, Cph K; f r e e adm; kaptain@dsfnet.dk) ROSELYNE MIN

Presenting two hilarious plays performed in English. Directed by Jeremy Thomas.

Last Tango in Little Grimley

The Santaland Diaries

The Sexiest Comedy in Town …

Matrikel 1, Gammel Strand 28 Dates : November 1 - 23

For tickets please visit :

www.teaterbilletter.dk

For Your Gay Holiday Cheer …

Krudttønden Dates : November 28 - December 1

20

EVENTS

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

1 - 14 November 2019

Look Back in Anger ongoing, ends Nov 23; Krudttønden, Serridslevvej 2, Cph Ø; 40-165kr, teaterbilletter.dk; that-theatre.com That Theatre presents John Osborne’s Look Back in Anger, the story of Jimmy Porter, a working class man married to a upper-middle class wife. When it was first performed in the 1950s, the play had a seismic impact on British theatre and society. This gripping play (see review on page 10) will have you on the edge of your seat. (HO)

Carmen ends Feb 15; Operaen, Ekvipagemestervej 10, Cph K; 155-945kr; kglteater.dk; in French with DK subtitles The sultry señorita is back – directly in fact from the Royal Opera House in London!

Georges Bizet’s classic opera − full of steamy Spanish passion, eroticism, raucous stage scenes and familiar songs that will have you swaying on your haunches − was first performed in Paris in 1875 and it’s been wowing audiences ever since.

The Barber of Seville ends Nov 21; Operaen, Ekvipagemestervej 10, Cph K; 155-945kr; kglteater.dk; in Italian with DK subtitles Gioachino Rossini’s beloved 1816 opera The Barber of Seville is based on the original story that was the prequel to the one that spawned ‘The Marriage of Figaro’. Reumert award-winning director Martin Lyngbo takes inspiration from classic silent movies to create a rich visual experience.

Last Tango in Little Grimley Nov 1-12; Matrikel1, Højbro Plads 10, Cph K; 200kr, teaterbilletter.dk What do you do when your drama club only has four members and you’re in arrears with your rent? Put on the play of a lifetime of course! Chaos, ccoquettishness and comedy ensue in David Tristram’s Last Tango in Little Grimley, which is guaranteed to have the audience in tears of laughter, choking on the free tea and biccies. Dawn Wall and Dina Rosenmeier are among the cast. (HO)

The Three Brexiteers Nov 12-Jan 11; Glassalen, Tivoli, Cph V & K; 160-415kr; teaterbilletter.dk & billetlugen.dk; londontoast.dk The Crazy Christmas Cabaret is back! Every year when the bells start jingling, the satirical theatre team at London Toast theatre group steam into the Glassalen theatre in Tivoli to present slapstick, topical gags, musical numbers and all-round festive cheer. This year director, Vivienne Mckee, is tackling Brexit and BoJo. (RM)

A Night at the End of the World Nov 7-14; a bunker close to Forum Station, Frederiksberg; 120kr (includes Irish coffee) via assembletheatrecollective@gmail.com Assemble Theatre Collective presents a one-man show performed in a former war bunker by Iven Gilmore. Best known for his performances at the Dame in the CTC’s annual panto, this is an immersive re-imagining of Samuel Beckett’s Krapp’s Last Tape. (RM)

Irish Festival Nov 8-9; Vanløse Culture Station, Frode Jacobsens Plads 4, 1st floor, Vanløse; tickets via billetto.dk As November arrives, the Irish Festival returns – this year with a special theatre performance as a special feature (see left). As well as the sessions and céilí, they are again presenting a strong line-up including The Early House, Eleanor Shanley & The Sentimentals, and Alan Burke. (RM)

Merike Estna ongoing, ends Jan 26; Moderna Museet Malmö, Ola Billgrens plats 2–4, Malmö; free adm, modernamuseet.se Moderna Museet Malmö introduces Merike Estna to Scandinavia for the first time with her exhibition Ghost from the future, filled with memories of past.

Merike uses today’s digital society as her medium to reinterpret folk tales and mythology as abstract imagery. (RM)

Den Demente Konge ongoing, ends Nov 11; Møstings Hus, Andebakkesti 5, Frederiksberg; free adm; moestingshus.dk Louise Haugaard Jørgensen asks if we have enough capacity to control man-made systems such as AI, given how humankind has dealt with the consequence of critical inventions such as metals like aluminum. Watch Terminator: Dark Fate (see pagee 22) on the same evening! (RM)

J-Dag Launch Nov 1; various venues; fb.com/ tuborgjulebryg When the time ticks to 20:59, Danes clink their glasses to mark the launch of the Tuborg Christmas beer. The arrival of the country’s fourth-most-selling beer is marked by lots of blue Santa clothes, often scantily adorned by the famous Tuborg girls. Enjoy free beer from the Carlsberg trucks and celebrate in the soap suds. (RM)

Halloween at Tivoli ends Nov 3; Tivoli, Vesterbrogade 3, Cph V; 130kr, tivoligardens.com Tivoli greets spooky visitors from mid-October onwards, challenging them to “test their courage at Tivoli”. (RM)

Hubertus Hunt Nov 3, from 10:00; Jægersborg Dyrehave, Dyrehaven, Klampenborg; free adm; hubertusjagt.dk Join 40,000 others watch the Hubertus Hunt, one of the country’s biggest autumn traditions. (RM)

Marsden Hartley ongoing, ends Jan 19; Louisiana, Gl Strandvej 13, Humlebæk; 125kr, louisiana.dk US painter Marsden Hartley was a bridge between European and American modernism. (RM)

CPH Short Film Festival Nov 6-10; Kunsthal Charlottenborg, Kongens Nytorv, Cph K; csff.dk Long story short, this annual film festival is a demonstration that art is not about quantity but quality. (RM)

Selene Muñoz performs Nov 14-15, 20:00-21:15; Louisiana, Gammel Strandvej 13, Humlebæk; 250kr; louisiana.dk Renowned performer Selene Muñoz and friends are performing Flamenco. (RM)

Art & Porn ongoing, ends Jan 12; Kunsthal Charlottenborg, Nyhavn 2, Cph K; 90kr, kunsthalcharlottenborg.dk Kunsthal Charlottenborg is celbrating the 50th anniversary of the legalisation of visual pornography in Denmark. (RM)

Tristan and Isolde Nov 3 & 14; Opera House, Ekvipagemestervej 10, Cph K; 115-535 kr, kglteater.dk The orchestra is the star performer in this Richard Wagner opera (see page 10 for our five star review).

Veggie World Copenhagen Nov 2-3, 10:00-18:00; Oksnehallen, Halmtorvet 11, Cph V; 97kr; veggieworld.dk This vegan lifestyle trade fair offers meat alternatives, food trucks, inspiring talks and cooking demos.

Mix Copenhagen ends Nov 3; Cinemateket & Empire Bio; 85kr; mixcopenhagen.dk Celebrating its 34th anniversary, this LGBT film festival is also a mix of lots of different languages! All the films have English subtitles. (RM)

Weekend by CPH PIX Nov 14-17; various venues; 95kr, cphpix.com Denmark’s biggest film festivals, CPH:DOX and CPH:PIX, present a brand new festival that gives young creatives the chance to show their potential.

Blixen Nov 9-April 16; Gamle Scene, Kongens Nytorv 9, Cph K; 85640kr, kglteater.dk Royal Ballet soloist Gregory Dean has choreographed the famous author’s life. The result really is reminiscent of her eventful life story: from her father’s suicide to her unhappy marriage and years spent on an African coffee farm in Kenya. Feel the joy and sorrow of her life through Dean’s movements and Debussy’s sophisticated tones. (RM)

The Show: A tribute to ABBA Nov 6, 20:00; Opera House, Ekvipagemestervej 10, Cph K; 550650kr, kglteater.dk After selling more than 2 million tickets in 40 countries, it’s the show all ABBA fans have been looking forward to. Come and sing along to ‘Mamma Mia’ and ‘Knowing Me Knowing You’ with the Swedish band Waterloo to backing from the National Symphony Orchestra of London and conductor Matthew Freeman. (RM)

Romeo and Juliet ends Nov 2; Opera House, Ekvipagemestervej 10, Cph K; 155-630kr, kglteater.dk Led by Icelandic director Helgi Tomasson, the San Francisco Ballet presents one of the finest interpretations of the original Romeo and Juliet since 1994.

Sergej Prokofiev’s music never fails to please while Jacob Worsaae visually stimulates the audience with his elaborate decorations and costume like no other. (RM)

Così fan tutte Nov 12-March 8; Opera House, Ekvipagemestervej 10, Cph K; 155-840kr, kglteater.dk The title of this Mozart opera means ‘So do they all’, and the feminine plural (tutte) hints that all women are faithless, or in this crazy comedy the girlfriends of Guglielmo and Ferrando. Enjoy Tobias Hoheisel’s lavish costumes and David Finn’s delicate lighting under the assured direction of Tim Albery. (RM)

Leonard Cohen: A Crack in Everything ongoing, ends April 13; Kunstforeningen Gl Strand 48 & Nikolaj Plads 10, Cph K; 75kr, glstrand.dk We know he couldn’t sing, but who knew Canadian singer Leonard Cohen could inspire such art? This exhibition, originally conceived by the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal, displays Cohen-inspired work in various forms including visual art, multi-media installations and music. (RM)

1 - 14 November 2019

A LANDMARK OF BRITISH THEATRE

LOOK BACK in ANGER

BY JOHN OSBORNE

IAN BURNS SØREN HØJEN ALEX JESPERSEN HELLE KRISTIANSEN PETER VINDING DIRECTOR: HELEN PARRY

KRUDTTØNDEN

SERRIDSLEV VEJ 2 , KBH Ø

Poul Henningsens Plads

teaterbilletter.dk 7020 2096 www.that-theatre.com

OCTOBER 23 TO

NOVEMBER 23

21

22

ON SCREENS

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

1-14 November 2019

Serpents, Snow White and Somersby: apples are always bad news BEN HAMILTON

I

REMEMBER being overwhelmed – in a good way. No, not kiss chase, I’m talking about TV in the 1980s and 90s, when the UK only had four terrestrial channels. Every evening I picked up the TV guide, a wealth of opportunity lay at my fingertips, as a plan quickly emerged in pencil, with a few rings marked ‘V’ for ‘Video it, Dopey’.

The US, though, had zillions of channels – we knew that from watching people in films watch TV. I didn’t envy them – most of it looked like rubbish. But someone, somewhere, disagreed. What Britain evidently needed, and countries like Denmark, which only had one TV channel until the launch of TV2 in 1988, was more choice.

The result is I’ve now seen the middle-parts of some films so many times that the opening 15 minutes have an almost mythical quality if I accidentally stumble upon them.

“Wait ... the Russian roulette scene is coming up. Don’t tell me you’ve never seen it?,” I ask as Saturday quickly becomes Sunday.

Enjoy it while it ...

SOON WE will look back at the last couple of years with the same sort of nostalgia. As you skim through this online on November 1, the already congested streaming market in Denmark will have been joined by Apple TV+. Initially with virtually no titles, it has guaranteed itself an audience by giving a free annual subscription away with every Apple purchase.

With Amazon and Disney also operating services in Denmark, along with market leaders Netflix and HBO Nordic (strictly in that order), we are approaching a new era – and just like at the end of the golden age of television, you’ll no longer be able to trust that the series making waves on cable will one day make it your way.

As the number of streaming services multiply, we are going to get less bang for our buck, and when the industry eventually consolidates, it will cost us – in terms of both price and quality. We might even have to start buying boxsets again.

Until dickless here ...

AS YOU can imagine, Apple TV+ isn’t coming out of the john with just its dick in its hand. In The Morning Show (60 on Metacritic; first two seasons from Nov 1) Steve Carell plays the TV presenter handed his dick on a platter when MeToo catches up with him, leaving his cohost (Jennifer Aniston) struggling to fill the void – a chasm that looks as inviting as Death Valley when a new presenter (Reese Witherspoon) joins the team.

So the question on everyone’s lips who isn’t purchasing a new Apple device this Christmas is when will it be on Netflix? The answer is never.

And the same is true of the rest of these titles, which are all available from November 1, complete with two seasons: Dickinson (68), a period comedy about the life of 19th century poet Emily Dickinson; For All Mankind (67), which reimagines what it would have been like

had the Soviets won the Space Race; See (38), a daft looking sci-fi series starring everyone’s favorite turkey baster Jason Momoa; and Oprah’s Book Club – miss it at your peril.

Reverse nepotism beckons OBVIOUSLY Netflix and HBO Nordic aren’t too concerned about the opposition, which explains why neither have chosen to release many titles.

On Netflix, The End of the F***ing World (Nov 5; S2) and Atypical (Nov 1; S3) return for new seasons, and we’ve got two vaguely promising series: missing son drama American Son (Nov 1) and historical drama The King (62; Nov 1).

The latter reimagines the fictional Hal-Falstaff friendship (Timothée Chalamet and Joel Edgerton – David Michôd, his director in Animal Kingdom, takes charge) from the Shakespeare plays as one grounded in reality, and there’s strong support from Robert Pattison as the Dauphin, Henry’s foe on the fields of Agincourt, Ben Mendelsohn as Henry IV, creepy British actor Sean Harris as somebody who looks like a backstabber, and Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis’s daughter LilyRose Depp as some French tart the producers insisted on adding to give the poor girl a part.

Both of Dafne Keen’s parents are actors, but neither are particularly famous – yet. Reverse nepotism roles lie in store given that their daughter has landed the lead in His Dark Materials (67; Nov 4 on HBO Nordic), which with a second sea-

‘The King’ is historically inaccurate! Elvis never wore fur

son greenlighted promises to be the next Game of Thrones. The word is strong that the series will realise the potential of Philip Pullman’s fantasy trilogy, which was rendered a damp squib by the 2007 film The Golden Compass starring Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig. Hopefully their ‘replacements’, James McAvoy and Ruth Wilson (finally free of The Affair), will do better.

Completing the fortnight for HBO Nordic are British druid romp Britannia (Nov 7; S2) and the already cancelled DC series Swamp Thing (67; Nov 8), which is finally getting a bow in Denmark.

Mostly unwelcome returns MEANWHILE, nothing is really grabbing us at the cinema, although maybe we should give Terminator: Dark Fate (54; Oct 31) a chance.

It is, after all, a sequel to the second film, bringing back Linda Hamilton and Edward Furlong to play the roles of Sarah and John Connor, with James Cameron back onboard as story creator and, of course, Big Arnie as the T-800.

Nobody from the original cast of The Shining returns for Doctor Sleep (Not Released Worldwide; Nov 7), and Stephen King is most likely cock-a-hoop that the supernatural elements are returning, as he pretty much rejected Stanley Kubrick’s masterpiece, which many still acclaim as the best horror film of all time. Ewan McGregor plays the adult Danny, complete with his crooked finger and fondess for predicting Grand National winners on the mirror.

Should that not send you to sleep, we’ve got Howard’s End (89; Oct 31) – gawd knows why they’re releasing it – and Midway (89; Nov 7), which looks like a sequel to Pearl Harbour, but is fortunately directed by Roland Emmerich (Independence Day), not Michael Bay. As much as I hanker for the mid-1990s, I can do without the likes of Bad Boys, The Rock and Armageddon. In fact, where’s the T-800? That’s one more leg of the franchise I’d gladly watch.

leonard cohen FREE ENTRANCE

Come join us Friday November 8th from 3 p.m. for the screening of the only official Leonard Cohen concert in HD. Experience the Canadian artist while enjoying affordable cold beers in Asta Bar. We present some 50 films with English dialogue or subtitles every month.

See what’s on at cinemateket.dk or visit us in Gothersgade 55

ENGLISH JOB DENMARK Recruitment Announcements Part of The Welcome Group COFFEE SHOP ASSISTANT RICCO’S, Sluseholmen, Copenhagen

SALES CONSULTANT Welcome Group Consulting, Copenhagen

Ricco’s is looking for 2 cafe assistants for their Sluseholmen Cafe. Send your application to Kyle, with subject: cafe assistant. State any previous expereince as a barista.

Deadline: When filled sluseholmen@riccos.dk

Looking for a results-driven Sales Associate to be responsible for all sales duties, from generating leads to closing sales.

Deadline: December 1st 2019 info@welcomegrupconsulting.com

CORPORATE MASTER DATA ANALYST Ambu, Ballerup Do you see master data as the cornerstone of the digital transformation, and can you develop data- and governance structures in a dynamic organization? Join a growing and successful MedTech company.

Deadline November 10th 2019 ambu@ambu.com

SOFTWARE ENGINEER Eloomi, Copenhagen We expect you to be a geek like us (!)

You have to know the fundamentals and have been developing professionally for a few years.

Deadline: When filled susie@eloomi.com

To advertise your vacancy here and reach 60,000+ readers weekly, contact info@ englishjobdenmark.com or call 6070 2298

ENGLISH JOB DENMARK

CONTENT EDITOR EIVA A/S, Copenhagen or home-based We are on the lookout for a crew member for the position of content editor. Please include ‘Content Editor’ in the subject line of your email.

Deadline: When filled eiva@eiva.com

CLEANING ASSISTANT Happy helper Various locations As a helper you will be working as a freelancer helping with cleaning duties. Choose time, location and working hours.

Apply online www.happyhelper.dk

GLOBAL TALENT & EMPLOYER BRAND LEAD, Knauf, Brøndby Do you have experience with employer brand communication and digital job transparency to ensure high quality candidates and future workforce needs? If so, we have the job for you. jobs@knauf.dk

CLEANER, VIP Cleaning, Copenhagen

Looking for independent, responsible team players. Exeperience necessary.

60hrs per month. Night work. To apply write a short introduction about yourself. vipcleaningcph@gmail.com

LINKEDIN FOR EMPLOYMENT MINI-COURSE How to create a winning profile: Tuesday, November 5 2019 17:00-19:00, Tickets: 250 DKK Venue: Ny Carlsberg Vej 80, 1799 Copenhagen.

For more information email: info@englishjobdenmark.com

AREA MANAGER EMEA Argon Medical Device DK A/S Malmö To maintain & develop distributor network in western part of EMEA. Applications to: Maj Brit Blom.

Deadline: November 30th 2019 emea-job@argonmedical.com

Working together with internationals and companies to better understand the needs of one another. The Welcome Group has created this page and provides additional services, including an online community supporting employment for internationals on Facebook.