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DANISH NEWS IN ENGLISH CPHPOST.DK VOL 20 ISSUE 03 24 February - 9 March 2017

NEWS How will we survive without our pastels at dawn?

NEWS

The immigrant within Most of Denmark’s favourite apples are foreign

EXPAT AMONG THE PIGEONS

Internationals make up 12 percent of the workforce

BUSINESS Danish capital launches bold bid for the EMA

10 HISTORY

The missing eggs Could some of the lost Fabergés be in Denmark?

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One in five work in the cleaning trade, according to official figures

VER THE course of 2016, a record 336,840 international people worked in Denmark – 45 percent more than in 2008, according to jobindsats.dk. In total, internationals make up 12 percent of Denmark’s total workforce. Poland leads the way THE LARGEST group of foreign citizens employed in Denmark worked in the cleaning industry, where nearly 63,000 plied their trade in 2016. Second on the list was the industrial sector with over 44,000, followed by hotels and restaurants (40,945), trade (38,652), the health and social

sector (31,821), construction (31,602), transport (24,514) and education (21,344). Poland supplied the most international workers in Denmark with 47,728, followed by Germany (26,949), Romania (26,585), Sweden (20,436) and Lithuania (16,456).

in October 2016. Steen Nielsen, the deputy head of DI, praised last March’s three-party agreement, which encouraged more løntilskud (wage subsidies) and internships. Since then, refugee internships has jumped from 12 to 22 percent

Rapid refugee progress MEANWHILE, the number of refugees being employed in Denmark rose by 75 percent between March and November 2016, according to Dansk Industri (DI). When looking solely at refugee and family reunification cases approved for residence in 2014 and 2015, their employment rate was between 0.7 and 1.6 percent in 2015. But that rate rose steadily to 9.5 percent

Half ready to work JUST ONE year ago, only about 3 percent of refugees were assessed as being ready to go out into the workforce, but according to the Immigration and Integration Ministry, 51 percent are now ready. The other 49 percent are assessed, for reasons ranging from physical disabilities to post-traumatic stress, as being unable to immediately enter the job marketplace. (CPH POST)

High rent costs COPENHAGEN ranks 14th in the world for rent costs. In Europe, only Geneva, Zurich and London had higher prices. San Francisco topped the 2017 Rental Affordability Index, which is published by the British real estate index Nested, followed by New York, Hong Kong, Dubai, Singapore, Washington DC, Geneva, Sydney, Zurich and LA.

Digital ambassador IN A WORLD first, Denmark will appoint a digital ambassador responsible for networking with tech giants like Google and Apple. “These companies have become a new kind of nation, and we need to address that,” the foreign minister, Anders Samuelsen, told Politiken. “They influence Denmark as much as other nations.”

INSIDE OUR NEXT ISSUE, OUT 9 TH MARCH! A CPH POST SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT ON LANGUAGE SCHOOLS Read all about language schools, how to choose one, free Danish lessons and more ...

NEWS

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

24 February - 9 March 2017

A landscape of changing pictures

ONLINE THIS WEEK STARTING on Monday February 27, Social Media Week will welcome 70,000 participants and 5,000 speakers from around the world. Organised by Copenhagen Concept, SMW includes up to 100 free, primarily Englishlanguage events across the city. Find out more at smwicph.dk.

Canine-hagen THE NUMBER of registered dogs in Copenhagen has nearly doubled in the past five years from 14,811 to 21,915, according to the Danish Dog Register. However, not everyone registers their pet. Around 450,000 households in Denmark own at least one dog.

Bridge pile-up SOME 14 people were injured in an accident that closed Øresund Bridge for several hours on February 15. Around a dozen vehicles were involved in three coinciding accidents on the Swedish side of the bridge.

In your face, Vesterbro NØRREBRO has been named the 12th most hipster neighbourhood in Europe by Travel Supermarket. It identified Superkilen as the area’s most Instagrammable place and Nørrebro Bryghus as the top eatery destination. The list was topped by Kreuzberg in Berlin.

As the Irish Rover closes, Experimentarium reopens and Palads Teatret’s future hangs in the balance

TOMASZ SIENICKI

Time to be social

Picturehouse blues THE PASTEL-COLOURED cinema Palads Teatret on Axeltorv could make way for a high-rise complex at the nearby Vesterport Station, reports Politiken. DSB Ejendomme is in talks with Palads owner Nordisk Film about building a new cinema in the complex. Palads, which was given its pastel coat in 1989 by Poul Gernes, was itself a station before becoming a cinema in 1912. Physical reincarnation FOLLOWING three years of

CHRISTIAN WENANDE

Littering the Lakes

THE AMOUNT of rubbish left behind by visitors to the Lakes grew from 60 tonnes in 2014 to 98.5 tonnes in 2015. A similar amount is expected for 2016. Daily visitor numbers to the Lakes grew from 6,400 in 2010 to 12,033 in 2014.

Strong credentials THE C40 Cities, which consists of mayors from 90 of the world’s biggest and most innovative cities, chose Copenhagen because it has one of the most ambitious

renovation work, child-friendly science exhibition centre Experimentarium has reopened again at Tuborg Havn in Hellerup. The new 11,500 sqm building has twice the space as the old centre, along with the world’s first interactive cinema and a roof terrace for open-air activities. Pub goes roving THE IRISH Rover at Vimmelskaftet 49 has moved across Strøget to set up shop at The Viking House restaurant, where it has duly changed its name and announced plans for a renovation that will include a big beer garden. Its final night was on January 28, and hundreds popped in

HE COMPREHENSIVE network of innovative cities, C40 Cities, opened a new permanent office for green growth in Denmark’s capital.

climate plans, is well on its way to reducing its CO2 emissions to zero by 2025, and has a mayor, Frank Jensen, who is a strong figure within green transition. “There are great opportunities,” said Simon Hansen, the head of the C40 Cities Copenhagen office. “The city has created a wide range of green solutions in urban planning, energy, cycling infrastructure and much more.” The new C40 Cities office is located in the BLOXHUB district of the city harbour – an area launched by the Ministry of Industry, City Hall and the

to pay their respects to its bestknown barman, Kieran Cahill, who undertook the final shift until the early hours. Park’s ten-year plan A NEW INDOOR waterpark, ‘Nordic Water Universe’, is in the works in Høje-Taastup Municipality, which when fully completed in 2028 could be the world’s fifth biggest. The 840,000 sqm complex will be built over five phases and create up to 3,000 jobs. Not to be outdone, the Vejlby-Risskov hall in Aarhus has announced plans for a waterpark of its own that will include a 105-metre slide and could be operational by 2020. (CPH POST)

A FLOATING hot-tub initiative has been launched by Nordic wellness group CopenHot at Ofelia Plads square. Inspired by a Dutch enterprise, the tubs come with their own skipper and butler.

Rise in roadworks LAST YEAR nearly 11,000 digging permits were granted for roadworks in Copenhagen – an increase of 18 percent compared to 2015.

Fire at police centre A FIRE caused damage to buildings that make up part of Rigspolitiet, the state police department, in Glostrup on February 10.

Beast of a pizza

philanthropic foundation Realdania as a base for sustainable urban development. Fans of turbines IN RELATED news, 85 percent of Copenhageners support the building of new wind turbines in the Sound, while 71 percent would like to see more of them in the city’s outer harbour areas, according to Epinion. In general, the capital’s residents strongly back the city’s goal to become the world’s first carbon-neutral capital by 2025.

THE ITALIAN eatery Bæst in Nørrebro has been named one of the best pizza joints in the world by the Guardian newspaper. It finished eighth on a list dominated by Italian restaurants.

Most homeless foreign SOME 41 of the 44 people found sleeping on the streets of the capital over the weekend of February 11-12 were foreign. A team from Copenhagen Municipality carries out counts twice a year.

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Hot-tub ahoy!

So it’s goodbye to our favourite pastels?

High praise for city’s green growth C40 to establish permanent office in BLOXHUB district

Marching for change COPENHAGEN will stage its own March for Science on Earth Day on April 22 – a worldwide protest at the removal of the term ‘climate change’ from the White House’s official website. The exact details are unconfirmed.

OD FORBID that urban landscapes should stagnate. This past month has seen one of the city’s favourite Irish pubs close down and the reopening of one of its most popular museums. In addition, an iconic cinema could close, while a massive waterpark is being planned in the suburbs.

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24 February - 9 March 2017

A voice for Europe in the land of the Dannebrog A long way from his native Shetland Islands, Keith Gray brings a European flavour to the local elections

400,000 kroner a year has almost tripled from 7 percent in 2000 to 20 percent in 2011.

CHRISTIAN WENANDE

ROM THE cannabis party to candidates dressed as naked cowboys on election posters, election time in Denmark is always a source of much amusement and endless debate for the locals. But to many outsiders, it’s a time of trivialities and of little consequence. Sure, it’s impossible to miss the tsunami of election posters going up all over the country, and who doesn’t crack a smile at a naked sheriff, but there is little effort to include the growing number of internationals living and working in Denmark. But here ye, here ye! All that changes now. It’s time for the European voice to make itself heard. With the local elections swiftly approaching later this year, Keith Gray – a publisher by day and political petitioner by night – has stepped into the breach.

European voices A NATIVE of the Shetland Islands, Gray will be on the ballot as a candidate for Socialdemokratiet on election night on November 21, and having lived in Denmark for more than a decade, Gray is acutely aware that the thousands of non-Danish EU citizens calling Copenhagen their home are yearning for representation. “I could see there was a narrative in Denmark as a whole that people from the EU were being portrayed as positive stories – particularly the western Europeans. They came and got jobs, but that wasn’t my experience.” “I met unemployed Europeans and unemployed Nordic citizens, people with problems who needed help. We are as diverse as the Danish population and nobody is representing US at the city municipality.” The issue was compounded by the Brexit vote last summer as 3,500 British citizens, according to Gray, who face losing the right to live in Copenhagen. Attacking apathy BUT HE’LL have his work cut our for him, because despite local elections being the only time

Come rain or snow, Gray will be out there

non-Danes can vote in Denmark, aside from EU elections, most EU citizens don’t bother voting. During the last local elections in 2013, only around 30 percent of EU citizens in Copenhagen voted, compared to about 70 percent of Danes. Gray aims to galvanise the European voters, and that’s no easy feat, considering many are only in Denmark temporarily. But Gray hopes to convince people that voting is essential as the municipal decisions impact daily lives – from kids in daycare and the rubbish being emptied to keeping the public transport running smoothly. “They might not be that interested in long-term projects if they know they’ll be leaving in two to three years, but you never know what the future will bring,” said Gray. “Just look at me. I’ve ended up staying despite not thinking I would. I came originally because there was no job for me in the UK, and I’ve ended up staying for ten years.”

The magic 800 GRAY BELIEVES he’ll need to reach 800 personal votes to make it in. That may prove more difficult than it sounds, given the non-Danes’ lack of participation. The good news for Gray is that there are more and more internationals in the country. Recent figures revealed that a record 336,840 international people worked in Denmark in 2016 – a 45 percent increase from 2008. “EU citizens don’t vote in local elections even though it’s the only time we can vote. EU and council elections are the only time we can decide anything. We’ve never fielded a EU candidate before, so we don’t know what’s going to happen. I need to get the message out there.” According to figures from Danmarks Statistik, there are some 44,000 EU citizens living in Copenhagen Municipality – so that’s not including Frederiksberg, Gentofte etc – out of a total of 600,000 people in Copenhagen.

Kicking up local dust BUT GRAY is more than a one-trick Shetland pony bent on bucking for EU issues. In fact he’s on the gallop for plenty of other more local-orientated issues. He is a keen supporter of reducing pollution in the city and facilitating that by improving public transport and working to ensure that the municipality uses electric cars and buses to lead the way. Another issue that lies close to Gray’s heart are the continuous cuts in municipal funding for public libraries. “It’s fundamental from an education perspective. When I came here as a new immigrant and couldn’t speak Danish, it was in the libraries that I borrowed books in Danish, read Danish newspapers, applied for jobs and learned the language. So it’s also essential to integration.” Another key issue is ensuring that Copenhagen remains a city that everyone can afford to live in. Figures from 2013 showed that the number of city dwellers in the capital who earn over

Political animal GRAY FIRST got involved in politics as a member of the Labour Party in the UK at the age of 17, and he kept that drive going when he settled in Copenhagen all those years ago. When the Østerbro chapter of the Socialdemokratiet party were looking to field seven candidates ahead of the 2017 local elections, Gray found himself standing up to be counted. “They wanted our list to represent Copenhagen, so there should be 50 percent women and people of non-Western background, and while no-one said anything about European immigrants, the first thing I thought at the time was that Copenhagen had never had an EU immigrant on the municipality,” he said. You won’t be seeing any posters of Gray dressed up as a naked cowboy as the election campaign gathers momentum this autumn, but there’s a good chance you’ll run into him around town as he goes door to door trying to get the word out. Internationals are an integral part of this city and they have a voice. Now is the time to put it to good use. “European citizens are everywhere: From the local baker and the municipal worker to the publisher in Holte. Some 7-8 percent of our neighbours have a European background. I don’t want them to feel like second-class citizens,” said Gray.

LOCAL ELECTIONS To vote you must be • 18 years or more • have a permanent residence in the municipality and either • have Danish citizenship or • be an EU citizen or a citizen of Iceland or Norway or • have lived in the Danish Commonwealth (Denmark, Faroe Islands and Greenland) for three years before the election day (November 21)

FEATURE

24 February - 9 March 2017

Adopted, they adapted, but will they ever feel accepted? Adoptees react to parliamentary statement on February 9 that appears to question their Danishness

indefinable, so when you start to question someone’s integrity and pride, that can be dangerous.” Words of wisdom HIS PARLIAMENT might have let him down, but at least Riis can rely on some of his fellow Danes for rational thought: his parents. “My parents said: you are as Danish as one could be and that sometimes decisions are made without proper thoughts,” he said. “Plus, I shouldn’t care about it at all.”

MIN JUNG KIM

MMIGRANTS and their descendants, along with outraged Danes, were not the only ones left reeling when Parliament suggested on February 9 that immigrants and their descendants could not be Danish (see story left). Parliament felt it was welladvised to officially respond to the news that there are now two postcodes in Denmark where the majority of people are immigrants from non-Western countries (see story below). However, several adoption groups and adoptees feel the statement was ill-advised, with one South Korean adoptee calling the official statement “outrageous”. Outraged, worried, awkward “I AM EXTREMELY worried this has happened,” Kim, a 26-year-old adoptee who arrived in Denmark as an infant in 1990, told CPH POST. While Kim concedes that the impact on non-Western adoptees will probably be minor, that hasn’t stopped him from feeling “uncomfortable” in the only country he has ever called home. Only fractionally Danish? SHARING Kim’s concern were two Danish adoption services, Adoption & Samfund Ungdom (ASU) and Adoption & Samfund (A&S), which issued a joint statement on February 14 to register their displeasure with the language in Parliament’s statement. “The feeling that we are not accepted as Danish is an unbearable feeling for all of us,” said the groups in a joint statement. “Does this now mean that international adoptees in Denmark must think of themselves as non-Danes? Should everyone

Jes Eriksen (left) with his grandparents (right)

now be divided into categories like half-Danes, quarter-Danes or full-Danes?” False claims THE THINK-TANK Tænketanken Adoption disagrees. It made a statement on Facebook on February 15 seeking to give the statement important context. “The approved statement must be seen in the context of decades of anti-Muslim racism in Denmark – it is directly targeting Muslim minorities and asylumseekers. Yet this important aspect is not even mentioned in Adoption & Society’s statement,” Lene Myong, a researcher at the University of Stavanger who is a member of TA, told CPH POST. “It falsely claims that transnational adoptees have been stripped of their right to freely choose where to live in Denmark. This is not true. You are defined as a Dane if one of your parents holds Danish citizenship and is born in Denmark. As adoptees we are categorised as Danes because our adoptive parents are Danish. The Danish state does not recognise kinship between adoptees and our first (non-Danish) parents.” Still collateral damage HOWEVER, Michael Paaske, the executive chairman at A&S, claims that TA “missed our point” and that “the adoptees are heavily

impacted by this”. “These words by Folketing [Parliament] put Danes and nonDanes into two different boxes, and this is not good for anything, neither for the adoptees nor for all other people in Denmark with a foreign background,” he said. Jes Eriksen, 37, who was adopted and brought to Denmark in 1980 from South Korea, agrees. “I don’t think adoptees were the prime target of this specific event. But we’re still going to be hit by it,” he told CPH POST. “The problem is that we’re still collateral damage in terms of the way we are treated by strangers since most people can’t really tell an adoptee from an immigrant. Until people hear you speak and maybe talk to you, they only judge you by your appearance. And having to constantly need to legitimise yourself in society is really stressful. If immigrants were treated better overall, we’d be treated better as well.” Already a sensitive subject PARLIAMENT’S statement is not legally binding, and Jacob Ki Nielsen, an associate researcher at the University of Copenhagen, is confident it will not affect transnational adoptees in Denmark because “must have been naturalised upon arrival and accordingly have the legal status ‘Danish origin’ (dansk oprindelse).”

However, according to Hans Christian Riis, 29, who arrived in Denmark as an infant in 1987 from South Korea, that will be scant consolation for the many adoptees who already have mixed feelings, whether they feel more attached to the countries they were born in, or hate them for not wanting them. “Danishness or your sense of belonging is quite a sensitive matter of discussion for many adoptees. There are many perspectives,” Riis told CPH POST. “Those who see themselves as purely Danish and have no ties to the adoption country: what would happen if they are labelled by the government ‘nonDanish’? After all, ‘Danishness’ is TRANSNATIONAL ADOPTIONS • There have been an estimated 25,000 transnational adoptions to Denmark since the mid-1950s • Around 90 percent are from ‘non-Western’ countries, of which South Korea is easily the biggest contributor • Per capita, Denmark has the highest number of South Korean-born adoptee citizens in the world • A high proportion of SK adoptees can also be found in Sweden, Norway and the US state of Minnesota

No more immigrant majorities – as a rule!

N RESPONSE to the news that immigrants make up the majority in two Danish neighbourhoods, a 55-54 majority in Parliament ruled on February 9 that “Danes should not be in the minority”. MPs and other concerned

groups were quick to interpret the statement as meaning a person cannot be a Dane if they are an immigrant or a descendant of immigrants from a non-Western country – even if they have a passport, were raised here, and pay taxes here.

“It is one of the most violent examples of ‘them and us’ I have ever seen,” said Enhedslisten spokesperson Pernille Skipper. Poorly worded VENSTRE, which prepared the statement with Dansk Folkepar-

ti, has since distanced itself from the wording. “The wording says that an immigrant cannot be a Dane,” Venstre MP Jan E Jørgensen told Politiken. “That’s how it can be interpreted, and that is very, very bad.” (RW)

Immigrants rule!

N TWO NEIGHBOURHOODS in different parts of the country, immigrants and their descendants now make up the largest share of the population. Of the 14,754 citizens living in Brøndby Strand (postcode 2660), 7,500 people are either immigrants or their descendants – 51 percent of the total. In Odense (postcode 5240), there are 8,749 immigrants and their descendants, compared to 8,645 people of Danish origin. At the other end of the spectrum, in Strandby in northern Jutland (9970) and Bjert just outside Kolding (6091), people of Danish origin make up 98 percent of the population. In Copenhagen, the percentage is 24, while the national average is 13. So many definitions TO BE DEFINED as a person of Danish origin, at least one parent must have been born in Denmark and be a Danish citizen. Immigrants are defined as those born abroad as the offspring of parents who were not born in Denmark, but might have gone on to acquire Danish citizenship. Descendants are those born in Denmark as the offspring of parents who were not born in Denmark, but might have gone on to acquire Danish citizenship. Parliament is currently considering a bill that would grant Danish citizenship to a maximum of 1,000 applicants a year. A protest against Parliament’s statement is scheduled to take place at Christiansborg Slotsplads at 17:00 on February 23. (RW)

NEWS

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

ONLINE THIS WEEK MARTIN Henriksen, the DF immigration spokesperson, has suggested that learning about Christianity and celebrating its holidays is essential if immigrants want to call themselves Danish. In related news, Danskernes Parti has distributed a two-sided flyer with a message to ‘real Danes’ on one side and a one-way ticket to ‘Langtbortistan’ for immigrants on the other.

When words fail … THE GOVERNMENT has once again tightened integration laws and will from this summer stop benefits to parents who refuse to send their children to language classes. Three-year-olds from immigrant families who do not attend preschool are required to take a language test, and should they fail, they are required to attend preschool and receive extra language training.

Top queuers, cue laughter COMMENTERS on the CPH POST Facebook page reacted incredulously to the claim that the Danes have the best queuing manners in Scandinavia, according to an Infomedia survey for SAS. Several questioned whether it was April Fools’ Day. Some 22 percent of Danes admitted trying to skip to the front of queues at airports – well below Norway (40) and Sweden (47).

No more segregated swims AARHUS Municipality has banned gender-segregated swimming at its pools, despite the initiative being popular in Gellerup, an area with a high density of immigrants. The lifting of the ban was backed by 26 of its 31 municipal council members. Those in opposition said the vote mirrored US antiimmigration sentiment.

Gang package launched THE GOVERNMENT has unveiled a stringent gang package, ‘Gangs Behind Bars’, which includes 28 specific initiatives aimed at getting gangs off the streets – for example, making it illegal to visit areas where they have committed crime – making it safer for citizens, and tightening the screws of justice on gang-related activities.

Sharing this journey called life We know a lot about the Danes thanks to their propensity to appear in TV ads, gas on the phones and not turn down a free meal

ONLINE THIS WEEK TV2

Devotion is Danish

24 February - 9 March 2017

PARLIAMENT has passed a law that should enable Skat to keep a tighter grip on taxes owed by taxi drivers. It also stipulates that taxis must have seat sensors, video surveillance and meters, and it has been perceived as a blow to Uber. However, Uber drivers association head Nicolai Jørgensen said it did not apply to Uber as it is not a taxi company.

BEN HAMILTON

N ADVERTISEMENT made by the commercial channel TV2 has gone viral since being translated into English on January 27 – the same day that Donald Trump released his executive order blocking many Muslims from travelling to the US. ‘All That We Share’ introduces us to a crowd of Danes segregated by economic and ethnic demographics. We’ve got rich people, poor people, lifelong Danes, new Danes and more – groups we might be inclined to generalise about. But then a number of new categories are introduced: ones that address our life’s journey as opposed to where we came from. And as the people respond, it reminds us that despite our different backgrounds, we share so much more in common. Tucking in together AND NOW that includes shared meals thanks to a new initiative launched by Coop and its chain of local supermarkets, Dagli’Brugsen, which brings together people living in small towns and villages. ‘Vores Madfællesskab’ (our food community) aims to foster a strong local community, and it has been commended for helping the estimated 200,000 Danes who suffer from loneliness.

Uber under the cosh

Politician avoids jail Questions that address the journey not the starting point

schools), you would be forgiven for guessing the suicide rate has risen, but the reverse is true. Numbers fell from 924 in 1995 to 584 in 2015 (404 men, 180 women), according to the national death register, Dødsårsagsregisteret. This might go some way towards explaining how a record 1,143 Danes celebrated their 100th birthday last year, of which 976 were women. Experts cited better childhoods and healthcare. Countering the figures, to an extent, has been a rise in the number of motorcyclist fatalities – up 37 percent last year to 26. While seven cyclists were killed in a right-turn accident, compared to only one in both 2014 and 2015.

According to a Vouchercloud survey, Danes purchase more sex toys than any other nation in Europe. They average more than one search for every ten residents in the country. Sweden, the UK, the Netherlands and Russia completed the European top five. And where would we be without a Victoria Milan study, which this time has suggested Danish women would on average need 1.58 dates before they have sex – the quickest of ten European countries surveyed – but then again, we are talking about visitors to an adultery website.

Fewer suicides IN LIGHT of this, and the rising number of reported rapes (up from 339 in 2013 to 744 last year) and incident involving cyberbullying (a serious problem at 20 percent of the nation’s

Horny as hell A HEALTHY sex life doesn’t hurt, or at least that’s the myth predatory male journalists like to perpetuate. Since the release of the erotic drama ‘Fifty Shades Darker’ on February 9, sex toy sales have soared by nearly 50 percent According to Sinful.dk, the demand for BDSM sex toys – such as whips, handcuffs and bondage ropes – has more than doubled.

She can stay FINALLY, where would be without the quirky findings that warm the cockles of our hearts during the long Scandinavian winter – which on this occasion came from the same survey by YouGov carried out for BTMX. It found out that 36 percent of Danes are annoyed when a clerk poses the question “Can I help you?” And if they were given a choice, 64 percent of Danes would keep their current mothers-in-law rather than getting a replacement, with only 19 percent keen on getting rid.

PET terror warning

Heavy border losses

Giving up on Denmark

NATIONAL intelligence agency PET assesses that terror remains a serious threat to Denmark, but no more than in its previous evaluation. It warned of a possible IS attack on a symbolic target or one insulting to Islam. In related news, 61 people have called the new Danish anti-radicalisation hotline since it started operations in February 2016. Some 27 led to further inquiries.

DANISH rail operator DSB spent 69.8 million kroner last year on carrying out ID and border checks on passengers headed to Sweden. Part of the bill might be covered by a Swedish fund set up to cover losses incurred by the controls, which were recently extended by three months until May 4. In addition, DSB estimates it has lost 56 million kroner due to fewer ticket sales.

A RECORD 532 asylum-seekers left Denmark voluntarily in 2016 and returned to their countries of origin – more than double the number than in 2015. Apparently many say it’s because Denmark is not the country they thought it was going to be. While 21,300 asylum-seekers arrived in 2015, only 6,200 did so last year.

A COPENHAGEN court on February 9 found local politician Finn Rudaizky, 74, guilty of leaking information to Berlingske and BT about the gunman Omar el-Hussein – namely that he was a known criminal and on the municipality’s radar. He was fined 10,000 kroner as part of a suspended sentence. Prosecutors had demanded a prison sentence of 30 days.

A long time coming THE GOVERNMENT has finally caved in to pressure from the UN and confirmed it will make it illegal to exclude or reject handicapped people from entering a place of business or leisure. Denmark will become the last Nordic nation to pass such a law, which will also enable handicapped people to make complaints if they feel discriminated against.

Traffic to increase A DANISH Road Directorate study suggests that driverless vehicles could become so popular that any space freed up – an estimated 30 percent on the roads – would quickly be filled with more cars as traffic increases by 14 percent. Meanwhile, the average number of trucks crossing into Denmark last year was 5,555 per day – an increase of 550 since 2007.

Girl’s charges confirmed POLICE have released the charge sheet in the Kundby terror case. A Danish girl, who was arrested in January 2016 and is now 16, is accused of planning bomb attacks against Fårevejle School in northeast Zealand and the Jewish Caroline School in Copenhagen – and also of stabbing an educator. Her trial begins in April.

NEWS

24 February - 9 March 2017

ONLINE THIS WEEK

FULL STORIES AT CPHPOST.DK

Eyes high in the sky

Nordic core in Big Apple

Dane arrested in Turkey

Women’s rights support

Our Dane in Ukraine

A DANISH Challenger aircraft on a monitoring mission in the Mediterranean in late January became suspicious after it spotted a high-speed inflatable boat off the coast of Sicily. It alerted the authorities and watched as the boat started to unload all its packages into the sea while trying to outrun the police boats. More than half a tonne of cannabis was fished out and two Albanian men were arrested.

THE NORDIC nations are on the brink of opening a new house of innovation in the Manhattan district of New York City this spring. The Nordic Innovation House will help companies gain a more fortified foothold in the US market while fostering sustainable growth in the Nordic Region. It aims to be financially self-sufficient by 2020. A similar innovation house has been set up in Silicon Valley.

A DANISH citizen with a Lebanese background arrested in Adana, Turkey is suspected of training with Islamic State with a view to returning to Europe to commit terror acts. It is believed he is responsible for a flow of money from Europe to IS in Syria and Iraq. He was arrested alongside a Swede, who it is believed is responsible for weapons distribution. Both men claim they are aid workers.

THE DANES are co-hosting the newly-established ‘She Decides’ international conference for women’s rights in Brussels on March 2 along with Belgium, Sweden and the Netherlands. The conference will seek to raise funds to plug the hole left by Donald Trump’s ‘Global Gag Rule’, which has withdrawn support for organisations that support planned parenthood, contraception and abortion,

ANDERS Samuelsen, the foreign minister, has called upon the EU and US to maintain sanctions against Russia following a personal visit to the front in eastern Ukraine, where fighting and casualties have recently increased. Samuelson compared Russia to a “schoolyard bully”. Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze, the Ukrainian deputy PM, praised Samuelsen’s courage for visiting the front.

Keep their shade of pale

Russian missile threat

Faroes vote looming

Snakes on a boat

Joining the fight

THE DANISH Cancer Society has released a video in several languages asking the citizens of five sunny countries to help paleskinned Danish tourists avoid getting sunburned. Danish presenter Mikael Bertelsen explains in Thai, French, Spanish, Italian and Greek that “Denmark needs your help” and asks locals to help Danes avoid sunburn via hats, breaks from the sun and sunscreen.

THE GOVERNMENT is assessing whether Russian missiles in its Baltic Sea enclave of Kaliningrad are capable of a long range and carrying nuclear warheads. One option could be to install a radar and rocket system on one of the Danish Navy’s ships. It comes at a time when the US is asking NATO members to spend 2 percent of their GDP on defence by 2024. Denmark currently spends 1.17 percent.

THE FAROE Islands will hold a referendum on a new constitution on 25 April 2018 in preparation for a possible national ballot on separating from Denmark. The vote had originally been planned for this year. Aksel V Johannesen, the Faroe Islands PM, said that a ‘Yes’ vote would be a “triumph” for the islands’ estimated 50,000 people and democracy. Denmark has controlled the islands since 1814.

NORWEGIAN customs officers on January 29 found a snake in a car on a ferry that had just arrived from Denmark. The boa constrictor was discovered in a clothing bag during a routine inspection at the port of Kristiansand. The three young men in the car all hailed from Rogaland, a province in southwestern Norway. It is illegal to bring such animals into Norway.

A TEENAGE female relative of Konservative politician Naser Khader and the Danish frigate Peter Willemoes have joined opposing sides in the war against Islamic State. In related news, Joanna Palani, a Danish sniper with Kurdish roots, has become a tabloid darling for killing 100 IS fighters and earning a million dollar bounty on her head. She is awaiting trial in Denmark for violating a travel ban.

SOULKEYS PSYCHOLOGICAL CONSULTATION

Consultation in English, Spanish and Danish Tatiana Jessen, accredited psychologist, specialized in psychotherapy and certified European psychologist. Contact me about problems met by cross-cultural couples (f. ex. expat &amp; Dane) or related to crisis and distress caused by overseas assignment and residence abroad. APPOINTMENTS : +45 22 35 31 19 Additional information : www.soulkeys.dk info@soulkeys.dk

BUSINESS

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

ONLINE THIS WEEK Chiropractors booming

24 February - 9 March 2017

The immigrants in our homes

Check out the maths ISTOCK

SOME 370,148 Danes sought the services of a chiropractor last year – a 21 percent increase on the 305,250 who used one in 2005, according to Danske Regioner. The average patient visited a chiropractor 5.7 times, and a total of 2.1 million treatments were given. Public health insurance covers about 20 percent of each treatment.

ONLINE THIS WEEK

Cold to the rescue THE PORTUGUESE container ship Victoria, which on February 10 ran aground north of the island of Funen and started to leak from its fuel tanks, was a week later towed to the Fayard shipyard in Odense Fjord. While some spills have been found locally, the damage was limited as most of the oil in its tanks solidified due to the cold temperature.

Painkiller concerns A BATCH of Pamol tubs containing three-hundred 500 mg pills of Paracetamol have been withdrawn after it was discovered that tablets containing 600 mg of Ibumetin had been erroneously mixed in. Pharmaceutical company Takeda Pharma has advised anyone with the pills to contact a doctor. In total, 4,040 tubs (batch number 11,255,945) are affected.

Deadly flu outbreak ACCORDING to the Statens Serum Institut, more Danes will lose their lives to influenza than usual this year due to a particularly tough strain, A H3N2, which particularly affects the elderly population and often requires hospitalization. Since the early 1990s, the flu vaccine has managed to halve the number of flu-related deaths in Denmark.

Starved of the sun DANES were reminded of the dangers of not seeing the sun by two reports this past month. The first highlighted how food enrichment could address the national vitamin D deficiency (10 percent of the population). The second confirmed that nightshifts disrupt our levels of cortisol, testosterone and melatonin, disrupting the body’s circadian rhythm.

CHESS organisation Dansk Skoleskak has challenged children to take up the game with the promise it will improve their maths. A recent study demonstrated that boys in particular can benefit. Some 40,000 students from 266 schools took part in a national chess day organised by Dansk Skoleskak on February 10, where they could sample the benefits.

Perils of knee pain

He took a bit of apple and thought: “This would be much tastier with lamb”

Most of Denmark’s bestloved apples don’t originate from these shores

ENMARK isn’t very friendly to immigrants, but makes an exception when it comes to apples, as it turns out that many of its beloved varieties are not quite so ‘Dansk’ after all. The Ingrid Marie, for example, which was ‘discovered’ on Funen in 1910 and named by a local schoolteacher after his deceased daughter – it’s a lovely story, but according to the University of Copenhagen the apple is the offspring of two English apple varieties. Both the Cox’s Orange and Cox’s Ponoma became popular in the late 1800s and spread to Danish gardens where they enjoyed a holiday romance. In total, apple genealogists at the university’s Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences used DNA analysis to map the genetic diversity and origin of over 500 apple varieties – 300 of which were Danish. And they discovered that many varieties were in fact duplicates – the Høje Taastrup is

the same as the Rød Ananas, and the Hillested is the Hillerslev, for example – while others like the Gråsten were not as prolific as they had hoped. Cry wolf a plenty THE SAME is true of Denmark’s wolves, but we knew that already. Since October, dozens of sheep have been attacked in an area southwest of Holstebro and in other parts of Jutland, and farmer have had enough. Venstre MP Kristian Pihl Lorentzen supports their right to kill to protect their livestock and has promised to take the issue up with the environmental and food minister, Esben Lunde Larsen. Among the losers is sheep breeder Storålam, although it receives compensation from Naturstyelsen every time a wolf attacks its property. With attacks quickly multiplying just south of the Danish border in Schleswig-Holstein, there are fears that this is only the beginning. More deer and eagles THE WOLVES aren’t the only ones thriving, as red deer and ea-

gle populations are also soaring. A herd of over 1,000 red deer were recently counted in a field near Vind Hede just southwest of Holstebro in western Jutland – a Danish record. There are now an estimated 25,000 in the country. For the first time in history, over 400 eagles have been counted in Denmark. Volunteers counted 395 sea eagles and 14 golden eagles during January. Good public response FOUR MUNTJAC deer, meanwhile, have been handed over to the authorities in response to the EU’s appeal to eradicate 37 invasive species, of which 12 live in Denmark. Since the release of the list last year, Danes have handed over thousands of animals to the authorities, including 300 redeared slider turtles, and 38,000 signal crayfish. The animals are not killed but looked after until they die naturally. Alternatively, Danes are free to continue keeping them, providing they don’t allow them to escape into nature or breeds. (CPH POST)

Car tax backfiring

The cost of obesity

Mapping the reefs

THE GOVERNMENT’S phasing back of the registration tax on electric cars over a four-year period is backfiring. In January 2017, just five were sold, the lowest figures since 2010 – and not one of them was privately purchased. Purchasers now pay 40 percent of the registration tax – a rate that will rise to 65 and then 90 percent over next two years.

A STUDY by Novo Nordisk in co-operation with Medtronic has revealed that the societal costs of obesity increased by 3 percent for every BMI point. On average, a person with a BMI of 35- 40 incurs healthcare costs of 32,000 kroner a year. Meanwhile, a DTU study claims that over a half of all Nordic men are overweight or obese.

A DANISH research project has for the first time mapped the coralline red algae reefs off the coast of Greenland. The map will provide insight into the role the reefs play in commercial fish breeding. In related news, Bjarke Ingels will design Greenland’s new indoor football stadium in Nuuk. Glass walls will give spectators views of the nearby fjord.

SEVERE knee pain rarely stops young people who play sport at a high level from competing, even though it can often lead to knee injuries. A recent Aalborg University study of 152 children aged 10 to 14 concluded that the kids find it hard to quit because it is part of their identity. It also demonstrated that breaks were beneficial.

Ancient discovery DANISH archaeologists from Moesgaard Museum have discovered the remains of a jewellery workshop on a small island in Kuwait, which includes semi-precious stones that are 3,500 years old. The team want to learn more about the collapse of the Dilmun culture’s trading network in 1700 BC that led to a ‘dark period’ about which little is known.

Threat to groundwater A WHISTLEBLOWER has told P1 he helped to transport barrels of poisonous chemicals that were buried at two sites close to groundwater in northern Zealand in the 1970s. Potentially hundreds of barrels were placed below the water level and covered with dirt. Now there are fears the barrels could leak and contaminate drinking water supplies.

Postnatal breakthrough RESEARCHERS from Rigshospitalet have discovered that postnatal depression can be discovered four months before the actual birth of a child. In other news, Danish women rank first among the Nordic countries for using medically prescribed contraceptives. Some 42 percent used them in 2013.

NEWS

24 February - 9 March 2017

ONLINE THIS WEEK Obnoxious, large pig

New bars for Mikkeller COPENHAGEN brewery Mikkeller has announced plans to open new bars in Los Angeles, Stockholm, Tokyo, Warsaw, Berlin, Chiang Mai in Thailand and Tórshavn in the Faroe Islands. It already has 27 locations worldwide. Mikkeller also confirmed plans to open a lunch restaurant on Viktoriagade in Copenhagen, near the site of its original bar.

Woz adds 12 inches CAROLINE Wozniacki on Valentine’s Day confirmed she received a bunch of roses from David Lee, the NBA star she has been romantically linked with since October 2015. And then her brother Patrik confirmed to Ekstra Bladet the pair are an item. Lee, who stands 206 cm tall, plays for the San Antonio Spurs. Wozniacki is 179 cm tall, while Rory McIlroy is 175 cm.

Critique for judge X FACTOR judge Thomas Blachman has his own critic: Danish singer Fallulah. After he made his selection for the under-25 group, she asked him: “Are you on crack cocaine, Blachi?” She didn’t like how he insisted there should be one male, accusing him of having an outdated view on women and rudely shutting them off in conversation.

Still too early to tell if Royal Arena is bad for traffic

OPENHAGEN Municipality, the city police, the Metro, Field’s and other interested parties have been discussing the impact of the new Royal Arena venue on traffic in the Amager area. Since Metallica officially opened the 16,000-capacity venue on February 3, traffic on Øresund Motorway, Hannemanns Allé, Center Boulevard and Ørestads Boulevard has been closely monitored to assess the congestion. Easing congestion “WHEN WE have some specific experiences, we can take steps to optimise the traffic,” said Steffen Rasmussen, a spokesperson for the Technical and Environmental Department at City Hall. “For instance, we can adjust the signal programs to produce a better traffic flow and get cars quicker off motorway ramps by changing the green light duration. And the road authority, Vejdirektoratet, can inform mo-

ONLINE THIS WEEK Good vibrations IT’LL BE ‘Fun, Fun, Fun’ when Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys grace the Odense Odeon on June 29. Also confirmed for 2017 are James Morrison (Aalborg Congress and Culture Centre, April 26), Gavin DeGraw (Vega, April 28), A Tribe Called Quest, Kiwi and Princess Nokia (Roskilde), The Prodigy (NorthSide) and film score composer Hans Zimmer (Forum, May 22).

ISTOCK

SPEAKING on the P7 radio program ‘Sangskriver’, Danish singer Oh Land has revealed that Donald Trump knocked on her dressing room door after they both appeared on David Letterman’s talkshow in 2011. “You’re beautiful. I need a Scandinavian wife,” he told her. She recalled he looked “klamt” (obnoxious) and like a “stort svin” (large pig).

Congested: inside and out

Homophobia campaign

Given its appearance, Metallica were an appropriate opening act

torists about queues.” Concert-goers heading to the Royal Arena are urged to take the Metro to the nearby Ørestad and Vestamager stations or to cycle when possible. Big names confirmed MEANWHILE, the Royal Arena has confirmed a number of new events.

While Ricky Gervais is performing on September 29 (on sale on 24 February at 10:00), the biggest names are from the world of music. Lady Gaga is performing on October 21, Celine Dion on June 15 (sold out in 16 minutes), John Mayer on May 9 and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds on October 20. (CPH POST)

Never walk alone!

Sofie grabs a role

Everyone’s a winner baby!

THESE are rough times for Liverpool fans. As if having to endure their bitter rivals Manchester United gobbling up title after title over the last 25 years wasn’t bad enough, the past month has seen the club knocked out of both domestic cups. But there’s some good news for the Merseyside club as they’ll never have to walk alone in Denmark. Thanks to legends like Jan Mølby and Daniel Agger, there are far more Liverpool fans (260,000) in Denmark than Manchester United supporters (190,000), according to betting site Unibet. (CW)

LARS VON Trier has nothing against Scandinavian actors: he’s cast Swedish actor Stellan Skarsgård in six of his films. But when it comes to Danes, he’s only worked with three this century. But now you can make that four as Sofie Gråbøl has been cast in ‘The House That Jack Built’, his film about a serial killer (played by Matt Dillon) that starts filming in Copenhagen in May. It makes you wonder, given that the killer is American, if this film is going to be about an expat offing Danes? The film is scheduled for release in 2018. (BH)

ONLY 22 Danish films were released at the cinemas last year. This year there will be 26. But that doesn’t stop the cream of the local movie world congregating for not one, but two award shows every year to celebrate the best of Danish film. Nobody goes home empty-handed! Earlier this month it was the turn of the Roberts, Denmark’s answer to the Oscars. ‘Der kommer en dag’ was the big winner with six awards, followed by ‘The Neon Demon’ (five awards), ‘Forældre’ (three), ‘Kollektivet’ (two) and ‘I blodet’ (one). (BH)

READ THE REST OF THESE STORIES AT CPHPOST.DK

Old-look streets festival

Bier to do Blixen

Strange role for Arnie

Best in world

DISTORTION is returning with a similar schedule to last year: street parties on Wednesday May 31 in Nørrebro and Thursday June 1 in Vesterbro; a ‘Street Party Area’ for bracelet and pass holders; and a line-up that again includes Mike ‘The Streets’ Skinner. Apparently overseas guests make up 35-40 percent of the guests at Distortion Ø on Friday and Saturday.

AWARD-WINNING Danish director Susanne Bier is set to direct and executively produce a new drama series based on Karen Blixen’s book ‘Out of Africa’. Following her success with the UK miniseries ‘The Night Manager’, for which she won an Emmy, producer David Heyman (Harry Potter, ‘Gravity’) described her as “the ideal director” for the project.

A NEW FILM coming out this spring will star Arnold Schwarzenegger as Vitaly Kaloyev, a bereaved Russian who murdered the Danish air controller he blamed for causing the 2002 air disaster that killed his wife and two children. The victim, Peter Nielsen, was cleared of any blame, but there are fears ‘Aftermath’ might exaggerate his negligence.

THE DANISH eSports team Astralis are the number one Counter-Strike team in the world following their victory in the ELEAGUE Major in Atlanta on January 29. The Danes came from behind to beat Polish outfit Virtus.pro in a best of three final showdown, triumphing 12-16, 16-14, 16-14. The win won them nearly 3.5 million kroner.

THE DANISH Football Players’ Union confirmed that it will spend a 667,500 kroner settlement from the DBU, which relates to the non-payment of money owed to players from old sponsorship agreements, on a campaign against homophobia. Meanwhile, the DBU wants to see talented Danish youngsters get more playing time in the Superliga.

Anything but automatic MORTEN Andersen has finally been selected to enter the NFL Hall of Fame (HOF). The news was confirmed just hours ahead of his beloved Atlanta Falcons taking the field for Super Bowl LI. Mr Automatic, who had failed to make the final cut in each of the last three years, is the fifth kicker to be inducted. The ceremony will take place on August 5.

Older than jazz itself LEGENDARY Danish jazz violinist Svend Asmussen has died at the age of 100. The Fiddling Viking played with most of the greats – Fats Waller, Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman and Toots Thielemans, to name but a few – and in several bands, including a swing trio with Danish guitarist Ulrik Neumann and Swedish singer Alice Babs.

Life of a legend THE LIFE of Danish comedian Victor Borge is being retold as a film and TV series produced by the Oscar-winning Danish outfit M&M Productions. The Jewish star of Broadway, who died in 2000 at age 91, never looked back following his arrival in the US in 1940 after leaving Europe to flee the Nazis.

BUSINESS

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

ONLINE THIS WEEK Vaccine sale questioned

24 February - 9 March 2017

Capital’s bold bid for EMA

Lego most powerful ISTOCK

THE GOVERNMENT is facing a barrage of questions following revelations that it has sold the vaccine production of the State Serum Institute to the Aljomaih Group, an investment company owned by a Saudi family dynasty with alleged links to extremist groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood.

ONLINE THIS WEEK

Airport investment NORWEGIAN billionaire Petter Stordalen has announced plans to invest 800 million kroner in a new 500-room hotel at Copenhagen Airport and take over the nearby Hilton. In related news, SAS has joined the regional airline alliance European Regions Airline Association and decided to establish two bases outside Scandinavia in the UK and Spain.

Novo off to Oxford WHILE Brexit has given it cause for concern, Novo Nordisk is going ahead with plans to invest over a billion kroner in a research facility at Oxford University. The centre will eventually employ 100 academics and scientists. In related news, Novo is one of three companies being sued in US for allegedly inflating insulin prices.

Hacked, need help? A NEW COMPANY has found a market in helping victims of digital extortion. Cryptounlock has helped over 40 clients to pay ransoms to hackers who have taken control of their IT systems. Earlier this month, the communications company 3 went public about an extortion attempt after criminals obtained the personal information of 3,600 of its customers.

Water tech savvy THE DANISH water tech industry has been busy sealing co-operations in Israel, a country that has invested heavily in the sector to overcome its environmental challenges. In related news, Danish company Kamstrup has agreed to deliver 40,000 intelligent water meters to help boost Ghana’s national water supply.

LEGO HAS been named the most powerful brand in the world by Brand Finance, which credited the release of ‘The Lego Movie’ in 2014 with pushing it to the top. Meanwhile, Lego has no plans to close down its Mexican plant or change its plans despite the threat of heavy protectionist tariffs on products made in Mexico and shipped into the US.

Chile opening plans

Nobody knows how many of the 900 workers will want to relocate (or if Brexit will complicate that)

Copenhagen has officially said it wants the European Medicines Agency CHRISTIAN WENANDE

HE GOVERNMENT is backing Copenhagen’s bid to be the future headquarters of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) when it relocates from London in the wake of Brexit. The EMA currently employs 900 workers. Stockholm, Amsterdam, Milan, Dublin and Barcelona have also announced their candidacies.

competition is stiff, but I’m convinced that placing the EMA in Copenhagen will be a huge benefit to Denmark, the EMA and the EU,” he said. Impressive expertise LARS REBIEN Sørensen, the former head of Novo Nordisk and new special envoy tasked with helping to bring the EMA to Copenhagen, highlighted that the Danish capital had a lot going for it. “Denmark has one of the world’s leading pharmaceutical industries and we already host the headquarters of the World Health Association (WHO),” said Sørensen. “And Copenhagen is a central and dynamic bridge to the rest of Europe, so I will be working hard in the coming months to gain support for Denmark’s candidacy.”

penhagen can rely on support from its neighbour Malmö, despite Copenhagen’s mayor, Frank Jensen, calling on the entire Greater Copenhagen region to support the bid. Jensen reminded his Swedish couterparts that Denmark lent its support, financially and politically, to the European Spallation Source being placed in Lund. However, while Region Scania and Helsingborg have pledged their support for Copenhagen’s candidacy, Malmö has been less forthcoming.

Stumbling block HOWEVER, it is unlikely Co-

Vital role THE EMA is charged with the scientific evaluation and monitoring of medicinal products that have been developed for use in the EU. The agency plays a key role in ensuring that pharmaceutical products for the European market are safe, effective and of a high quality.

Loving globalisation

Boost for creditors

Nordea slips a bit

FOLLOWING on from last year’s Eurobarometer survey that showed that Danes are the most pro-globalisation population in the EU, a new study by Dansk Industri reveals that 84 percent of the country’s companies embrace it too. Only 2 percent think it is a bad thing and 82 percent agree that Danish companies will benefit from it.

THE OWNER of Hansen Travel, the Danish company that went belly-up last July, has been ordered to pay 75,000 kroner back to the estate – good news for its many creditors. In other news, Siemens Wind Power has closed down its factory in Engesvang near Silkeborg in Jutland at a cost of 430 employees.

NORDEA has reported a profit of just over 32 billion kroner for 2016 – 9 percent down on the year before. Revenue fell by 2 percent, while costs rose by 4 percent. Danske Bank’s post-tax profits rose 12 percent to 19.9 billion kroner. While shipping colossus Maersk has declared an overall loss of 13.2 billion kroner for the year.

A huge benefit IN ANNOUNCING its bid, Anders Samuelsen, the foreign minister, underlined Denmark’s strong tradition for protecting patient security, its important research environment, and how it has become a force when it comes to having an innovative pharmaceutical industry. “There is no doubt that the

JYSK HAS unveiled plans to open shops in South America, according to Finans.dk. The Danish bedding and furniture retail giant, which has over 2,400 shops across 47 countries, will initially open a store in Chile via its German subsidiary Dänische Bettenlager. Meanwhile, JYSK is also sizing up Vietnam, Indonesia and Singapore.

Bornholm loses out BORNHOLM has missed out on 100 million kroner and a large number of jobs following the Russians’ decision to make the Swedish city Karlshamn the base port for the storage of pipes for the Nord Stream 2 project. In related news, DONG Energy has confirmed it plans to be coalfree at all of its generating plants by 2023.

Chinese deal signed DENMARK and China have signed an agreement for the 2017 tourism year. The Danes hope the deal with boost overnight stays by Chinese tourists by 25 percent over the next two years. Ferry operator DFDS also has its sights set on Asian tourists following a steep increase in the number of its Thai and South Korean customers.

App raising funds THE IUSO app – which connects people through sports, children playdates and other social events and could become an invaluable tool for helping internationals acclimatise to Denmark – has gone live on Kickstarter, where it is aiming to raise 149,000 kroner. It has already attracted investors from the Danish startup community and Dubai.

BUSINESS OPINION

24 February - 9 March 2017

Rubbish code crackers I HELP jobseekers to transform their CV and cover letter to best represent their capabilities, and then I prepare them for tough interview questions, and it’s my opinion that most graduates and jobseekers cannot really decipher is a job ad. Very often the applicant replicates the commercial jargon from the ad, but ignores the skills the company was looking for. Not only would they regularly fail to match the skills listed on their CV to the ones in the ad, they would completely miss any ‘between the lines’ requirements or personality traits that they need to give examples of. At the beginning of the process, I always like to think my

IVANKA RUSKOVA CPH CAREER Ivanka (Vanya) Ruskova is a senior business analyst with experience in IT, investment banking and the service industries. She currently works with graduates entering the job market in Denmark, offering extensive CV and application assistance, personal coaching and counselling. For more information and bookings visit: cphcareer.com

THOMAS N HORSTED STARTUP COMMUNITY Thomas (@thomas_hors) is the co-owner and managing partner of Startup Guide (startupguide. world), working to inspire and empower people to become entrepreneurs through in-depth city guides. As an entrepreneur with an academic background in media studies and kaospilot, he understands the combination of praxis, reflection, creativity and theory needed to bring startup projects to life.

Titles don’t define us MY OFFICIAL title in the company has been co-founder and COO. However my actual role has been much broader, more hands-on and very entrepreneurial. I have acted as owner, employee, mentor, student and friend. I have adopted roles such as facilitator, relationship builder, project manager, fundraiser, text writer, coach, social media manager and public speaker. So be prepared to do it all! Not dissimilar to marriage MY PARTNERSHIP and

Be the man who can THIS CONFUSION is not entirely due to the jobseekers though. Especially for entry level positions, companies disguise mundane tasks by making it sound as if there will be lots of responsibility, sometimes suggesting the applicant will have to lift the whole world on their shoulders. This can sound daunting if you’re a graduate! One way to figure out what skills you need to demonstrate is to call the company and ask about the position’s tasks, about what kind of a team you’re be working in, and what your role in the value-making chain will be. Of course, sometimes there friendship with my business partner have been crucial. We have encouraged each other to be ourselves, while learning from each other. We have pushed each other in order to gain new perspectives. It can be extremely challenging to be good friends and business partners at the same time. But when it works, it is the best. And most importantly, you need to have the room to disagree. If you see everything the same way, then you are probably wrong. Go ‘entreprofessional’ AN ENTREPRENEUR is typically defined as risk-willing, passionate and opportunistic – important traits if you want success. But the real magic happens when this is combined with the traits of a traditional professional with analytical skills, rational thought and a strategic approach. The two stereotypes do not always like each other, but the best companies have a

Come on, it isn’t the Enigma Code!

is no contact person, or maybe you’re too shy to pick up the phone (please contact me, I can provide training for that!). In those cases I recommend you research other positions with the same titles. Use the internet to create a whole profile of the position if it helps. Unfortunately, companies

sometimes just need a ‘dogsbody’ whose role they will further modify and fit into their team, so the description of the responsibilities is at best vague and ultimately confusing. In those situations, focus on your key skills and how they can be applied. Above everything, demonstrate you can.

mix of them. Find the right mix!

ISTOCK

OR THE past two years, I have been a part of building a sustainable and scalable business for a startup called Startup Everywhere. We have developed and positioned a strong brand in demand, worked with some of the biggest corporates in the world and created new communities. These are some of my key learnings.

clients just need extra training. However, once we have had our consultation, it becomes obvious that most of them are not able to decipher what the job ad is really looking for.

ISTOCK

N MY CONSULTANCY work I have noticed something astonishing about the way people understand job advertisements.

Budgets are business WHEN ENTREPRENEURS are wrapped up in concepts and ideas, it’s easy to lose sight of their spending. Learning to understand your burn rate is crucial, and paying close attention to it is critical. Keep refining WE REALISED that business models need to be constantly developed, tested and refined – again and again. Do a pilot operation, measure it, learn from it and change it if necessary. Build a skilled team TEAM UP with someone who offers a different skill set from you, but has the same drive and vision. And surround yourself with good talent. It might take time, but do it right. Hire slow, fire fast DON’T HIRE someone just

Your new career as a juggler

because you need them now. Seriously! Take your time, do conduct several interviews and give them an assignment. Make sure you find someone with the right values who fits your culture and is eager to learn and work hard. Oh, and do take references! How about you? What are your key learnings and how can you apply them to your startup or established company?

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COMMUNITY

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

24 February - 9 March 2017

MRUTYUANJAI MISHRA

If you mix blue and red you get pink

AST WEEK surprised us in two ways.

Oh my Dahling MORE SURPRISING, however, was seeing the chair of Socialdemokratiet, the largest party and leader of the red opposition parties, sitting on a sofa together with Kristian Thulesen Dahl, the head of Dansk Folkeparti, flirting as if it was Valentine’s Day. It brought to mind former PM Nyrup Rasmussen’s observation that DF would probably never be house-trained enough for intimate dating. In an interview, which also involved the leader of the 3F trade union, the two leaders agreed on what they did not want to do, but not necessarily on what they wanted to do. DF in recovery mode THE PARTIES do not want to bring the minority government

Enjoy it while you can THE TAXI ‘liberalisation’ was another low when real liberalisation, digitalisation and pension reform would be more relevant to clear the way for the effects of disruption. Indeed, we must enjoy this peace while we can – while we continue to assess and digest the repercussions of the election of President Trump We expect the legislation process to come to a halt and continue in circles not dissimilar to the new Metro, going nowhere until we are finally allowed to disembark at the next general election in a couple of years. Pink is a fine choice for a Valentine Day’s romantic date, but it isn’t a good match for this country’s future. For now, though, it doesn’t really matter; as the kingdom is in good shape. (ES)

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As a regular contributor to the Times of India, the country’s largest newspaper, Mishra is often sought-afer by Danish media and academia to provide expertise on Asian-related matters, human rights issues and democratisation. He has spent half his life in India and the other half in Denmark and Sweden.

TOGLENN

An amicable affair FIRSTLY the CO-Industri, the central organisation of industrial employees in Denmark, and Dansk Industri, the confederation of Danish industry, kissed and made up and agreed a new three-year deal that will affect 230,000 employees working at 6,000 companies in the industrial sector. There was no drama and everybody seemed to be happy. The country currently has a very high employment rate and higher productivity than expected, while GDP growth is also exceeding expectations. However, the parties still need to agree on a minimum wage and a pay rise, which is expected to be the equivalent of 1.5 to 2 percent a year.

Mishra’s Mishmash

down even if they could. DF is still trying to recover from the EU funds scandal, which has cost it dearly in the pockets and is still far from over. It also has right-wing newcomer Nye Danske to consider, although the immigrant and refugee question is less prominent now fewer are seeking asylum and integration efforts are yielding a degree of success. You could say that along with the debate of stern austerity it has ended in a draw, so no election bells are ringing. DF has no real agenda but to irritate the PM and make his day-to-day life difficult. Its questioning of the location of a new police academy was pure parody and a frightening example of the level of tripping and pushing they intend to do, instead of actually contributing to reform.

A bridge too far for the tourist bus, some are beginning to say

HE DANISH capital has been soaking up more plaudits than Meryl Streep of late. Recently named the world’s most liveable city and best for cyclists, it also cashes in when this fair land gets credit as well. After all, it stands to reason that if Denmark is the best country for women to live in, then Copenhagen is the best capital. Traditionally, there have always been a handful of cities competing with Copenhagen for such accolades. Berlin in Germany and Helsinki in Finland are two examples close to home, while further afield, Tokyo and Singapore always tend to be in the race too. But accolades aside, Copenhagen faces challenges, and arguably today more than ever before. The Sound of red tape IT IS A global trend among youngsters to move from small provincial towns and settle in major cities that offer more opportunities, a diverse range of professional educational qualifications, and the possibility to commute and stay in affordable housing. Every year 10,000 people migrate from other towns and cities to Copenhagen, putting

extra pressure on the housing and infrastructure of the city. Urban migration to Copenhagen is increasingly becoming a difficult task. One of the challenges facing Copenhagen is that Malmö, the third largest city in Sweden, is connected to it by road and railway routes used by thousands of commuters and tourists, and ever since Sweden toughened its immigration laws, making it obligatory to check passports and travel documents at the border, the easy flow of daily passengers has been disrupted. This has made life tough for those commuters who live in Malmö and work in Copenhagen. Malevolent metropolis? ADDING salt to the wound is that one of the best-selling books in Sweden in 2017 is about how the country should avoid becoming Malmö: ‘Framtidsstaden – om Sverige imorgon blir som Malmö idag, hur blir Sverige då?’ Translated into English, the title means: What would Sweden look like tomorrow if it became like Malmö today? The book is written by Swedish journalist Lars Åberg, and it is the talk of the town in Copenhagen, Malmö and Stockholm. It is a bestseller because

it pinpoints things that are dysfunctional about the city: a very high unemployment rate that is twice the level of the rest of Sweden, high segregation in areas where primarily poor Swedes and migrants get packed into ghettoes where the crime rates are high, and a school dropout rate that is alarming. Long-term solution MALMÖ and Copenhagen are deeply interconnected and, as mentioned, share a very healthy transit of students, workers and tourists that enriches both cities. But the danger of spillover is always there. Copenhagen will not be interested in getting the gang fights of Malmö to spoil its reputation. Copenhagen, too, has its suburbs and equally pressing problems related to the integration of new immigrants, but since the number of new arrivals has been lower, the segregation process has been far less significant. Before we once again see a theatrical debate between Danish and Swedish politicians about whose fault it is, it is better to work towards a long-term solution to the challenges facing both Copenhagen and Malmö.

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24 February - 9 March 2017

JESSICA ALEXANDER

NEXT ISSUE

The Road Less Taken Jessica is a bestselling US author, Danish parenting expert, columnist, speaker, and cultural researcher. Her work has been featured in TIME, Huffington Post, The Atlantic and The NY Times, among others. She graduated with a BS in psychology and speaks four languages. She currently lives in Italy with her Danish husband and two children.

‘Mere te’ Vicar? DARREN MCCALLIG

Crazier than Christmas VIVIENNE MCKEE

JEHOCHMAN

IN 2 ISSUES

Straight Up ZACH KHADUDU

“You don’t know nothing about maths” – “Know anything, Morten, know anything.” It works!

OME WEEKS ago I was conducting research at Danish schools trying to gain a deeper understanding of how Danes actively teach empathy there.

Standards set at school SEEING as empathy is now considered one of the single biggest factors in predicting successful leaders and businesses, as need as general well-being, it’s no wonder the Danes are consistently voted as being one of the happiest countries in the world by the OECD. Alarmingly, empathy levels in America have dropped by up to 50 percent in the last 30 years according to a study presented to the Association for Psychological Science by the University of Michigan in 2010. Denmark, on the other hand, continues to have high empathy levels, which is partly due to it being entwined in the school curriculum. Learning together ONE OF the ways Danes teach empathy, I discovered, is through teamwork and something called ‘co-operative learning’. I explore this theme with my co-author, a Danish psychotherapist, in the book ‘The Danish Way of Parenting: What the Happiest People in the World Know About Raising Confident Capable Kids’. The idea of co-operative

learning is to mix children of different strengths and weaknesses to work together on projects and assignments to help each other. The thinking goes that if you are smart and talented you should hone your skills, but you should also help others. While you may be a maths genius, if you don’t learn to work well with your peers, you won’t get very far. The maths genius will surely need help in other areas at other times, and it’s a great lesson to teach children early on since no-one in life operates alone. Interestingly enough, research shows that when you have to explain something to someone else (like a maths problem), you not only learn the material much better than by memorising it alone, but it also builds up your capacity for empathy. Having to listen to the way someone receives information, and putting yourself in their shoes to understand how they learn, is strengthening your mental wires for empathy. All about the teamwork APPROXIMATELY 60 percent of schoolwork in Denmark is done in teams. This is fascinating when you consider how many of us spend the majority of our schooling careers thinking as an individual and yet, when we graduate, most of us go on to work in teams in some form or

another. It’s no wonder, perhaps, that Denmark is also voted as one of the best places to work in Europe. The idea that one person should be a winner and stand out isn’t what they strive for in Denmark. Instead, if you happen to be talented or gifted in a subject, then you have a certain responsibility to help others who aren’t as talented. Compete with yourself! BEFORE I left, I asked one of the teachers if there was ever something a student would be awarded for. As I didn’t see one trophy case in the hallway or one sign of an ‘outstanding student’ or a ‘sports star’, I was indeed curious. He laughed. “I think the only time someone might be awarded for anything would be for being a nice friend. But generally we don’t want students to compete with each other. We want them to compete with themselves.” I was really struck by this. Is there any better way to build genuine self-esteem than to compete with yourself without the need for an award or to beat someone else? Isn’t it more powerful to believe in your own progress than to measure yourself against others? This seems like the real foundation for internal well-being. True happiness, after all, is an inside job.

A Dane Abroad KIRSTEN LOUISE PEDERSEN

Brick by Brick

IN 3 ISSUES

STEPHANIE BRICKMAN

Straight, No Chaser STEPHEN GADD

An Actor’s Life IAN BURNS

Fashion Jam JENNY EGSTEN-ERICSON

IN 4 ISSUES

INOUT: PERFORMANCE G3 THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

March 2017 SØREN MEISNER

MIKLOS SZABO

MUSICAL

SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER – THE MUSICAL March 17-April 29; Falconer Salen, Falkoner Alle 9, Frederiksberg; 198-898kr; saturdaynightfevermusical.dks JESSICA CAVALLARO

THE ONE and Only Company presents the premiere of Saturday Night

March 1-5, Wed-Sat 19:00, Sun 17:00; House of International Theatre, Huset-KBH 4th floor, Rådhusstræde 13, Cph K; 100kr, cbstheatre.com; 90 mins LONG BEFORE No sex please we’re British, the smutty Carry On films and the Confessions series, the French had Boeing Boeing, a sex comedy set in ‘60s

Paris about an airline employee juggling the flight paths of his three air hostess fiancées with the help of his maid. Copenhagen Business School promises us that its theatre’s first ever production (translated into English of course) is “in-flight entertainment you do not want to miss out on”. It explains where we get the term layover from. Let the bed swapping and cupboard hopping commence! (BH)

CHRISTOPHER DOLPHIN

THE END of the universe begins with dance. Hypothesised by Lord Kelvin

CIRQUE DU SOLEIL: VAREKAI March 23-26; Royal Arena, Hannemanns Allé 18, Cph S; 480-650kr, ticketmaster.dk THIS SHOW promises an “adventure that is both absurd and extraordinary”, and you wouldn’t expect anything less from the world’s leading modern cir-

BALLET

Ballet de Luxe March 22-April 12; Gamle Scene, Kongens Nytorv 9, Cph K; 75-495kr, kglteater.dk Three acts take you through the history of ballet, mainly featuring the work of August Bournonville and George Balanchine. Elsewhere, see Breakfast med Bournonville (March 21-30) and Dans2Go (March 3). (BH)

cus group, which has been wowing the world with its amazing costumes, acrobatics and lighting since its foundation in 1984 in Québec. Varekai (which means ‘wherever’) is the land where the story is set. Expect amazing backdrops featuring volcanoes and forests, and extraordinary action featuring heroes and strange creatures. With young fans in mind, three of the six shows start in the afternoon. (BH)

OPERA

70 Years of Opera March 14-15; Gamle Scene, Kongens Nytorv 9, Cph K; 75495kr, kglteater.dk Enjoy excerpts from Danish National Opera operas performed since its foundation in 1947. Elsewhere, see Mahagonny (March 2 & 5), Dead Man Walking (March 4 & 11) and The Rape of Lucretia (March 30 & April 1, 3 & 5).

GROB.DK

After Miss Julie ongoing, ends March 25, Mon-Fri 20:00, Sat 17:00; Krudttønden, Serridslevvej 2, Cph Ø; 165kr, thattheatre.dk Set on the eve of Churchill’s 1945 election defeat, That Theatre’s production of Patrick Marber’s erotic reworking of August Strindberg’s Miss Julie is a compelling psychological drama. (BH)

in 1850, heat death of the universe is a theory that states the end of the universe will come when there is no longer enough heat energy to perform work. Choreographers Kasper Ravnhøj and Stian Danielsen took this as a challenge and have created a program that will enable them to expend enough thermal energy to push the universe another step closer to its own demise. Mute Comp Physical Theater’s show is sure to turn up the heat.

MODERN CIRCUS

PIXABAY

THEATRE

MOLLY GRØNBERG PHOTOGRAPHY

THAT-THEATRE.COM

EVENT FACEBOOK PAGE

Teater Tapas Feb 26 & March 26, 16:0020:00; Teaterøen, William Wains Gade 18, Cph K; contact carlos@teateroen.dk to perform Artists stage 15-minute performances of any style or genre in English, Danish or without words. February’s theme is ‘beginnings’ and March’s is ‘absence’. And yes, tapas are served. (BH)

March 3-11, performances Tue-Sat 20:00, Sun 17:00; Dansekapellet, Bispebjerg Torv 1, Cph NV; 125kr, teaterbilletter.dk; 60 mins

SCREENSHOT

BOEING BOEING

MIXED

SLEEPING WITH THE LIGHTS ON

Fever – The Musical based on the film classic of the same name from 1977. Viewers can look forward to experiencing iconic Bee Gees hits like ‘Stayin’ Alive’, ‘Night Fever’, ‘Disco Inferno’, ‘Boogie Shoes’, ‘If I Can’t Have You’, ‘More Than a Woman’ and ‘How Deep is Your Love’, while witnessing the king of the disco floor: Tony Manero! Don’t forget to bring your dancing shoes and boogie the night away!

THEATRE

PERFORMANCE DANCE

THEATRE

Without a Compass TBC, play runs from March 4-April 8, Mon-Fri 20:00, Sat 17:00; Teater GROB, Nørrebrogade 37, Cph N; 185kr Enjoy På Herrens Mark with English subtitles on selected nights. As a family gathers at a young man’s deathbed, their existential questions ponder the nature of life, death and God. (BH)

24 February - 9 March 2017

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Address: Høeghsmindevej 65 Great hall, 3 lounges, 4 bedrooms 211 sqm + 126 sqm basement Large, bright room in the basement, with entrance from the street (suitable

Would you like to learn to play the Violin or Piano? You can be an adult or a child, it will happen and it is fun! Contacts: neitinokkonen78@gmail.com

for office/au pair/teenagers) Available: Now Contact owner: (+45) 4087 9944 Buy for: 7,500,000 DKK Rent for: 28,000 DKK/monthly

SALES INTERN

www.of ag.dk

THE POST IS LOOKING FOR A SALES INTERN TO SUPPORT THE SALES TEAM

ANIMATION FASHION DESIGN ART WRITING INDUSTRIAL DESIGN

Responsiblities include the following: ■

You will be assisting the team with various tasks including face to face selling, administration, ad sales, home page, events, etc.

■

We are looking for a candidate who has completed or is currently pursuing a degree or has experience in sales.

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10TH. GRADE DESIGN-HF ART & CULTURE

in English. A knowledge of Danish is an advantage. ■

You should be able to work approximately 20 - 30 hours per week.

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Please send your application and CV to hans@cphpost.dk noting Sales Intern in the subject line.

THE PLACE FOR

The Copenhagen Post is Denmark’s leading source for news in English. In addition to publishing the only regularly printed English-language newspaper in Denmark, we also provide a special supplement division of our newspaper and online news.

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Odense Fagskole - Ørstedsgade 28 - 5000 Odense - Tlf: (+45) 66 12 21 45

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THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

24 February - 9 March 2017

N EARLY February, the French department of the International School Odense organised a French theatre festival in collaboration with the Institut Francais, which is located in Copenhagen. The event was for Danish and international students

from all over Denmark to present various short scenes in the beautiful language. The French flags were out in force as an atmosphere of bonhomie (top centre) descended on the venue, and the children were encouraged to “Marchons, marchons!”

The children who had the courage to present their talent linguistique on stage did a heck of a job – particularly as most of them treading the boards were not speaking their mother tongue. Children of all ages participated, playing a number of diverse roles, including a

ALL PHOTOS: VERNON JONES

OUT AND ABOUT

Viking (bottom centre), a smurf (bottom left) – who were originally created in Belgium – and one of many represented animals, such as mice, frogs or snakes (bottom left and top right) – quelle diversité! The important topic of tolerance was also touched on

PEXELS.COM

Pizza class with Bike and Bake: (March 1, 17:00; Eataly Copenhagen, Illum, Østergade 52, Cph K; 650kr; eataly.dk) Indian Yogic Ayurvedic Cooking Workshop: (Feb 24, 17:00; Health Copenhagen, Badstuestræde 13, Cph K; 199kr; hotyogacph.dk)

Interested in acquiring new cooking skills? Then listen up, as there are various classes for food lovers and wannabe chefs. If you choose Italian, Japanese or Indian, don’t forget to sign up! For the Ramen Cooking Class: (March 10, 18:00; Oiran Madhus, Slagtehusgade 11B, Cph V; 270kr; oiran.dk)

Are you ready for a weekend full of fun? Flydende By invites to the Trash Olympics, where competitors build floats out of recycled material. There are also food stalls, good music, and workshops for the little ones and spectators (March 10-12; Trash Olympics, Papirøen, Trangravsvej 14, Cph K)

Are you a book lover? Then join the club and discuss ‘Havana Black’ by Leonardo Padura with other literature enthusiasts while drinking a nice cup of something (Feb 25, 16:00; Paludan Bogcafé, Fiolstræde 10-12, Cph K)

PEXELS

FLICKR / RICARDO

PIXABAY

Are you interested in exchanging your ideas about digital publishing? Then come and join this meetup of local content makers and listen to the publisher of Timegeeks Kristian Haagen (March 1, 18:00; Issuu, Gasværksvej 16, Cph V)

FLICKR / JOY

CMGLEE

COMING UP SOON

during the short scene ‘Un homme de couleur’ (top left). In general, the French Theatre Festival was a great opportunity for the little ones to practise their skills in a environnement formidable. Applaudissement pour les jeunes! LESLIE HAWENER

Are you interested in how data could be used for public governance? Then join the ITU for a public talk, but don’t forget to register! (March 9, 11:3013:00; ITU, Auditorium 3, Rued Langgaards Vej 7, Cph S; itu.dk) LESLIE HAWENER

WORK

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

No jobs for graduates

24 February - 9 March 2017

Holiday rule shake-up

Danes must work more

Flexi-time at municipality

Companies prioritising shareholders over new employees

ECENT graduates in Denmark are struggling with an unemployment rate that is twice as high as it was before before the financial crisis, according to the Danish economic policy institute Arbejderbevægelsens Erhvervsråd (AE). Over 13 percent of all new graduates in 2015 were jobless six or more months after they had completed their education, while the rate was only 6 percent some 10-15 years ago. Companies to blame ACCORDING to AE, 19.4 percent of graduates from shortterm higher education courses – especially business academies – were not able to find a job six months after they had graduated

No, there’s not much choice

in 2015. Researcher Henning Jørgensen from Aalborg University told Information that private companies do not reinvest profits in creating new jobs, but instead spend the extra money on quick investments or higher pay-outs for shareholders.

ONLINE THIS WEEK

“School called me at 3:53”

Only another 30 years

TO PARAPHRASE Mr Bumble: “If that’s the eye of the law, the law is an ass!” And similar sentiments are often expressed about the rules governing holidays and sick days. For example, if you have to leave work to care for your sick child, does that count as an official day off? And if you fall ill before your holiday, shouldn’t that be factored in? Well, according to a new agreement between CO-Industri and Dansk Industri, which affects 230,000 employees working at 6,000 companies in the industrial sector, those rules will be changed. (BH)

POINTING to the low number of hours they work during their lifetimes compared to other nations in Europe, the government has called for Danes to spend more time in the job market. The employment minister, Troels Lund Poulsen, claims Danes work 3.7 years less than the Swedes and 2.3 years less than the OECD average. “If we worked the same as in Sweden, it would equate to us having 270,000 more full-time workers in Denmark,” said Poulsen. Danes work the fourth-least out of the 35 OECD nations. (CW)

IN THE future, employees working for Copenhagen Municipality will be able to have flexible work hours following a unanimous decision by the local politicians at City Hall.

Big job for Dane JESPER Højer has been appointed the managing director of Lidl International. The promotion means the 38-year-old Dane is now responsible for 215,000 employees.

Fired for coffee error A 17-YEAR-OLD was fired from his job as a youth worker at a SuperBrugsen in Odense for forgetting to pay for a fiver kroner cup of coffee. It’s a question of principles, said his employer.

READ THE REST OF THESE STORIES AT CPHPOST.DK

COMING SOON:

THE CPHPOST CAST

A podcast covering serious, lighthearted and sometimes irreverent news about Denmark and its people • Exactly why are Danes so damn happy? • Are their hotdogs really all that great? • And what’s really going on in Christiania anyway? Hosts Ray Weaver and Tia Hoka bring unique insight topped with a sense of fun to the news, drawing on their years of experience as journalists, broadcasters and expats

The debut edition of the CPHPOST Cast will be available for streaming in February on iTunes and CPHPOST.DK

HISTORY

24 February - 9 March 2017

Fabergé as Danish as he was Russian – as was his favourite client DIAMOND TRELLIS EGG

Given that Princess Dagmar owned 60 percent of them, is it far-fetched to speculate that some of the lost Imperial Easter Eggs might be in Denmark?

• The 1892 egg, the Diamond Trellis Egg, contained an automaton (Fabergé’s first) of an ivory elephant covered with precious stones – a tribute to Denmark’s Order of the Elephant.

BEN HAMILTON

T’S CURIOUS how history tends to discount maternal family lines when assessing nationality, but it’s come in handy for various royal families over the years, most noticeably the Saxe-Coburg and Gothas, who changed their name to Windsor in 1917, to disguise the truth that they were more German than a frankfurter sausage. Of course, in the case of George V, the king of Britain at that time, he was more Danish than anything else, through his mother, Queen Alexandra, although that might depend on how German the house of Schleswig-HolsteinSonderburg-Glücksburg was. Yes, this nationality assessment – it’s harder than it looks. So perhaps the world can be forgiven for regarding the famous Fabergé jewellery design family as Russian, even if the bit about them being the descendants of fleeing French Huguenots is often thrown in – to explain the accent in the surname more than anything else. But ignore the mother it does, and in the case of the creator of the famous eggs, Peter Carl Fabergé, when he asked for mor, it was Charlotte Jungstedt, the daughter of a Danish artist, who answered in the affirmative. An imperial cinema THE DANISH connection to the eggs does not end there, as Fabergé’s main client was Russian Empress Maria Feodorovna, who’s better known in these parts as a Copenhagen cinema. To bring us full circle, if that’s possible in the convoluted machinations of 19th century European royal history, Princess Dagmar of Denmark was the younger sister of the aforementioned Alexandra of Britain and daughter of the father-in-law of Europe himself, Denmark’s Christian IX. And it’s even said that the eggs were inspired by one owned by a Dane too: an ivory specimen that was the property of Dagmar’s aunt, Princess Vilhelmine Marie of Denmark and Norway, the daughter of Frederick VI,

• Likewise discovered at the Kremlin in 1917, it can today be seen at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. Until two years ago it was believed the automation had been lost, but it was then confirmed it had been in the collection of the British Royal Family since George V purchased it. Nice of them to let us know!

The Diamond Trellis Egg, Danish Palaces and Royal Danish (not the original of course)

which Dagmar admired (‘coveted’ might a big strong in this case) as a child. Fast-forward to 1885, and Emperor Alexander III of Russia is wondering what he should get his Danish wife to mark 20 years of marriage. Now, nobody knows for sure whether it was a complete surprise to Dagmar (we like to think that she was sleep-taking: “I had an egg in Denmark” – imagine the voice of Meryl Streep if it helps), but Alexander presented her with a golden Easter egg, which when opened revealed a golden yolk containing a golden hen containing a diamond crown. Known as The Hen Egg, this would be the first of 50 Imperial Easter eggs (of 52 made) presented to Dagmar and her daughter-in-law Alexandra, as when Alexander unexpectedly died at the age of 49 in late 1894, his heir Nicolas II continued the tradition, but doubled the order to present eggs to both his wife and his mother. In total Dagmar received 30 during her lifetime, and it would have been more if the Russian Revolution hadn’t scrambled all the giftgiving in 1917. Did Dagmar take them? THREE of the eggs presented to Dagmar reflected her Danish heritage (see factbox): the 1890 egg, Danish Palaces, the 1892 egg, the Diamond Trellis Egg, and the 1903 egg, Royal Danish, and it is intriguing to note that the last of these was received by

Dagmar in Copenhagen where she was attending the 40th anniversary of her father's accession to the throne – hence the choice of motif. As Nicholas II wrote to his mother, he was sending “a Fabergé Easter present. I hope it will arrive safely; it simply opens from the top.” It remains one of seven Imperial Eggs that are officially lost, and there is no record that the egg ever left Denmark. As a 2014 episode of the TV series ‘Raiders of the Lost Art’ remarked: “Something is amiss in the state of Denmark.” Even more curiously perhaps, of the seven lost eggs, all seven were gifts to Dagmar. When Dagmar eventually left Russia aboard the HMS Marlborough in 1919, it is speculated that several of the missing eggs might have been in her luggage. Certainly the 1916 egg, The Order of St George, was in her possession (along with two Rembrandts) as she eventually left it to her daughter Xenia when she died in Denmark in 1928. But how many of the missing seven might she have had? After all, she was the rightful owner. Well, three of them – Cherub with Chariot, Nécessaire, and Hen with Sapphire Pendant – have been accounted for in records following Dagmar’s departure from Russia. But three of them, along with Royal Danish, have not. The Empire Nephrite Egg (1902), also known as the Alexander III Medallion Egg, was

listed by Dagmar’s entourage as being among her personal belongings when she left the Gatchina Palace in St Petersburg in July 1917. And no post-1917 records exist of another egg with significant personal connection to Dagmar, the Alexander III Commemorative egg from 1909, as well as The Mauve (1897). Next to Dunkin’ Donuts FOR MANY years, there were eight missing imperial eggs, but then one showed up in 2012, the 1887 edition, the Third Imperial Egg. An American metal dealer had bought it a decade earlier for approximately 80,000 kroner for its scrap value, but was then told he had overpaid for it by prospective purchasers and it sat in his kitchen for years. Eventually he googled it, discovered a Daily Telegraph article asking if this very egg was on your mantelpiece, and contacted a London jeweller, Kieran McCarthy from Wartski, who flew out to the States to verify the discovery and pay 200 million kroner on behalf of a collector. “It was a very modest home in the Mid West, next to a highway and a Dunkin’ Donuts,” he told the DT. “There was the egg, next to some cupcakes on the kitchen counter.” So the question remains: is there a Fabergé egg sitting around somewhere in Denmark overlooking a Jensen's Bøfhus next to some stale cinnamon snails?

DANISH PALACES • The 1890 egg consists of ten watercolours of mostly Danish landmarks painted by the Russian artist Konstantin Krijitski. Among those depicted were: Bernstorff Palace, Kronborg Castle, Amalienborg Palace, Fredensborg Palace and the Emperor Villa at Fredensborg Park. Two imperial yachts and three Russian palaces complete the ten. • Discovered at the Kremlin in 1917, it was sold abroad in 1930 and eventually found among the private collection of a deceased New York lady in 1971. Today the egg can be seen at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in its adopted home.

ROYAL DANISH • At 229 mm tall, the 1903 egg (also known as the Danish Jubilee Egg) was one of the largest made for the Romanovs. True to its name, it contained miniature portraits of Dagmar’s parents, Christian IX and Louise of Hesse-Kassel. • A description published in 1934 in the Connoisseur magazine helpfully adds: “The outer surface is in light blue and white enamel with ornaments in gold and precious stones. On the top are the armorial bearings of the Danish Royal Family, and it is supported by Danish heraldic lions.” • Only one photograph of it exists today.

20 Bid winter’s darkness goodbye with buns and a bang HOLIDAY

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

24 February - 9 March 2017

ISTOCK

From attending a church service to bashing the barrel, there are once again a host of activities to do on Fastelavn in the capital region ANNALEAH MAGNUSON

S NEW ORLEANS revs up to party the night away on Bourbon Street for Mardi Gras, Denmark is similarly preparing its sweet cream buns and practising its best batting position for Fastelavn, the traditional Danish Shrovetide. Events for the whole family will be held all around the Copenhagen area and beyond in the days leading up to and on Sunday February 26. Bashing the cat CHILDREN and adults alike will be donning their wackiest costumes and munching on delicious fastelavnsboller (Fastelavn buns) – but only after having a whack at the time-honoured act of tøndeslagning (barrel beating)! As tradition dictates, a black cat is placed in a barrel, and one proceeds to smack the barrel with a bat, scaring away the creature – symbolising the banishment of evil and bad luck for the remainder of the season. Claiming the candy HOWEVER, today the practice is thankfully milder, as instead the barrels are filled with candy. Nevertheless, he or she who provides the smack that releases the sweets is still crowned ‘kattedronning’ or ‘kattekonge’ (king/ queen of cats). The city has much to offer during this exciting season, and everyone’s sure to find something that tickles their Fastelavn fancy – from costume contests to musical events to beer tastings. It’s time to celebrate!

FOR FAMILIES: LIBRARY FASTELAVNSFEST

Feb 26, 11:00-16:00; Københavns Biblioteket, Rentemestervej 76, Cph NV; free adm Many of Denmark’s libraries offer fun events throughout the week for the whole family – including tøndeslagning, costume contests, face painting, mask crafting and delicious treats. Københavns Biblioteket, for example, offers free music and entertainment, hot chocolate, and sweet treats.

And the children will gather and scream as one: “This winter holiday is only over when we say so!”

NATIONALMUSEET’S FASTELAVNSFEST

Feb 26, 12:00-15:00; Nationalmuseet, Prinsens Palæ, Ny Vestergade 10, Cph K; adults 60kr, children 30kr; billet.natmus.dk At the Nationalmuseet’s Fastelavnsfest, bring the family to watch an hour-long play describing the history behind Fastelavn, and featuring the Children’s Choir. Following the performance, enjoy food and costumed fun.

CHARITY FASTELAVNSFEST

Feb 25, 13:00-15:00; KPHVolume, Enghavevej 80, Cph V; adults free adm, children 100kr; kph-projects.dk Looking for some music with a good cause that the kids will love? Look no further than the ‘Sweets and Songs’ Fastelavnsfest at KPH Volume, from which all the proceeds from the charity carnival celebration go directly

to Save the Children. The lineup includes M Beard, Louis & Sebastian from Ramsjang, and Tormod Trolle and Chapper.

FASTELAVN I ZOO

Feb 26, 11:00, 12:30 & 14:00; Zoologisk Have, Roskildevej 32, Frederiksberg; children 100kr, adults 180kr; zoo.dk Delight in all-ages fun at Fastelavn i Zoo, bring the costumes, hang out with the animals and take your whack at tøndeslagning. Don’t miss the reindeer!

VINTERFERIE PÅ GIMLE

Feb 26, 12:00; Gimle, Helligkorsvej 2, Roskilde; 60kr; gimle.dk Gimle for børn’s ‘Vinterferie på Gimle’ offers something for all children and parents at its Fastelavn celebration. Each ticket including a fastelavnsboller, coffee or cocoa, and a bag of goodies! And of course, don’t even think about coming

without your best costume. All ages are welcome!

CHURCH SERVICES

Feb 26, most services 10:30 or 11:00; kirkinikbh.dk Church services where costumes are encouraged will be held on Sunday all over Greater Copenhagen. Check online to find the service closest to you, whether it’s in the city centre, Christianshavn, Vesterbro, Sydhavn, Frederiksberg, Østerbro, Nørrebro, Amager, Valby, Vanløse, Brønshøj or Husum.

FOR ADULTS: FASTELAVN BREAKFAST

Feb 26, 11:00-14:00; Hard Rock Café Copenhagen, Rådhuspladsen 45-47, Cph K; 129kr, children 99kr; hardrock.com/cafes/copenhagen Hard Rock Café Copenhagen invites you to enjoy a full tra-

ditional American breakfast (costumes required) and then to crown the king and queen of Fastelavn directly following. Breakfast and non-alcoholic drinks are included in advance ticket purchases.

FASTELAVN BEER

Feb 24, 19:00; Jacobsen Brewhouse & Bar, Gamle Carlsberg Vej 11, Cph V; 50kr, billetto.dk (75kr at the door); visitcarlsberg.dk As if you were looking for an excuse to taste some delicious beer! The Carlsberg brewery will be opening its taps and serving up the city’s best beer to celebrate Fastelavn. Bring your best costume and dance the night away with in-house DJs (until 01:00) and take the opportunity to participate in tøndeslagning using Carlsberg beer barrels. “Who knows what goodies are inside the Carlsberg beer barrels,” say the party organisers.

RESTAURANT

24 February - 9 March 2017

Bowling over cyclists, the carefree and connoisseurs of grain BOWL MARKET

Gasværksvej 3, Cph V; open MonSun 07:30-18:00; sample prices: risotto: 80kr, porridge 75kr, tea 30kr, juice 28kr; 2482 6090 KAMILLA STOFFREGEN

In the goldfish bowl STEPPING into what was once a pizzeria, a certain clarity and calmness reigns in contrast to the street bustling with the activity of the shoemaker on the corner who's been there for donkey’s years, shops selling bikes, tattoos and clothes, several hairdressers, a couple of restaurants, lots of apartments and relentless traffic. Immediately I spot my friend at one of the few tables in the front room of Bowl Market. Actually, everything is easy to spot as soon as you enter, including all the food and drinks on the menu. As the owner Trey Greenwood explains, the kitchen is open view – so in the goldfish bowl, one could say – which allows the customers to follow the preparations of their coffee, tea, porridge or risotto, underlining the levels of cleanliness and care aspired to in every order. For seclusion at a long table, go through to the wonderful room at the back. According to Greenwood, it’s a popular meeting venue. Today two young ladies occupy the table, each with their own computer. In the front room this quiet Monday, it's just us to begin with, although we are quickly joined by two more classy ladies. My friend and I already know what we want for lunch: the risotto with pickled mushrooms. But we compromise and order one risotto and one zucchini porridge – the other lunch bowl on the menu. Bowled over by shrooms OUR WHIMS are attended to by one of two smiling, polite waitresses and the owner himself. One of our whims is, inevitably,

KAMILLA STOFFREGEN

T IS NOON on the first Monday in February and a few carefree snowflakes dreamily float about before casually caressing my face and the pavement. Today a couple of bicycles are parked on the pavement on Gasværksvej in front of Bowl Market. One of them, a classic lady's ride, I recognise as my lunch date's.

more salt, which is swiftly handed to us along with an explanation regarding how the mushrooms are pickled. Their effect on the risotto leaves my mouth watering for more. “I need more substance,” my friend observes about the zucchini in the porridge. She has a point. It could serve well as a side-dish to a

more solid bowl of … wait, this is a vegetarian, gluten-free porridge and risotto dining place. And a very fine one at that. We both marvel at the interior. It is clear, from the lamps over our heads to the soap and hand towels in the restroom that nothing is haphazardly thrown in for good measure. It took Greenwood 14 visits

to coffee roasters and 24 places serving porridge in Copenhagen before he settled on how to serve his. Inspired by how to put together a nutritious diet for professional cyclists – a field he previously had a career in – his aim is to serve a bowl of breakfast porridge that provides the 'slow burn' a cyclist (or you and me)

needs for lasting energy. Cook each bowl from the beginning for al dente consistency, instead of a huge bowl of gooey paste for all, he stresses. To drink, there is fresh water in bottles on trays laden with glasses on the tables. My friend enjoyed a cup of Earl Grey tea while I opted for the elderflower juice.

FILM

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

24 February - 9 March 2017

Worth waiting on the platform for two decades? BEN HAMILTON

OU CAN’T really blame Robert Carlyle. He’s 55 and probably needs the work. But I’m apprehensive that Franco Begbie’s discovery of personal grooming products might end up being more than a little distracting when I finally get to see Trainspotting T2 (Metacritic: 61; released: March 2), the sequel I’ve been waiting for these 20 past years. Once upon a time, Franco HIS CO -STARS Ewan Macgregor, Tommy Lee Miller and Ewan Bremner have no such problems. Born within 18 months of one another, they’re all in their mid-40s, and according to the books, Carlyle should be too. Macgregor’s Renton used to defend his classmate Begbie against the bullies until Scotland’s most famous psychopath came to the fore. But in reallife, Carlisle is a decade older than him. So not quite in Roger Moore (58 as Bond) or Stockard Channing’s league (33 in Grease), but mighty close. An actor of renown thanks to a standout role as a murderer obsessed with avenging the Hillsborough tragedy in Cracker, the original Trainspotting in 1996 catapulted Carlyle to international fame, although by the film’s release he had already landed the lead in The Full Monty, one of Britain’s most successful ever films. A Bond villain’s role followed swiftly, and even an outing as Hitler, as Carlyle became the go-to British actor for darkness. But this decade Carlisle has only appeared in three films, one of which he had to direct to get

the part, and just one TV series, albeit a popular US one: Once Upon a Time since 2011.

A crackerjack of a film LET’S REWIND this a moment: I haven’t been waiting 20 years for this film. In fact, I don’t even need it. Trainspotting, both the book and the film, where more than complete enough. It came out at the advent of Britpop, a golden period for British culture, and on the back of the emergence of film-makers like Quentin Tarantino and Paul Thomas Anderson – and it was the ballsiest film Britain has ever produced, with Empire magazine boldly suggesting: “Come in Hollywood, your time is up.” It was the extraordinary combination of frenetic direction, an energetic cast, a pyrogenetic soundtrack and a poetic script – all at the top of their game. And Carlyle’s contribution provided us with some of the film’s most unforgettable moments. Welshing on the vision BUT A LOT’S happened in the ensuing 20 years. Trainspotting’s author Irvine Welsh has certainly been busy, taking every opportunity he can to throw in a reference to characters from his beloved first book. Eventually, he could resist the temptation no longer, penning a sequel in 2002 entitled Porno, on which Trainspotting T2 is loosely based – which is fortunate as Welsh massively expanded the role of Mikey Forrester, the anal suppositories dealer he plays in the 1996 film. The rumours started as soon as Porno was released that a film was pending, but nothing happened, and before you knew it

a decade had passed and Welsh was releasing Skagboys, a prequel to the events of the original – a vastly superior book it must be said, which truly captures the Trainspotting spirit. Welsh wasn’t done. Just last year, he released The Blade Artist, a whole novel (albeit relatively short) about Franco Begbie. As is if he hadn’t already destroyed the character’s mystique enough, he imagined the Leith psycho as a successful artist on first name’s terms with George Clooney who makes egg-white omelettes and when pushed happily turns into Patrick Bateman. Although, there is no mention of botox. Logan’s last run IF THE Trainspotting sequel has made you question where the last decade has gone, it might surprise you that it has been fully 17 years since we were introduced to Wolverine, Hugh Jackman’s most endearing character, who the Australian actor’s family have learned to call ‘Pay Check’. This is the tenth X Men film, ninth featuring the character and third focusing on him – and apparently Logan (NRY, March 2) will be hairy arms’ last outing, so fingers crossed (unless you happen to be wearing a pair of his talons, which could be very dangerous).

Also hairy and with an insatiable appetite for more films is the ‘star’ of Kong: Skull Island (NRY, March 9). Starring alongside Tom Hiddleston and Samuel L Jackson as Kong’s love interest is Brie Larson, an actress who emerged from nowhere last year to win the best actress Oscar for Room. Maybe we’re being unkind, but in the promo stills she appears to be overdoing the horror, like she’s genuinely worried the big ape is going to crap in her presence. But then again, he is so absurdly big this time around, they’re gonna need a bigger boat. A United Kingdom (66, March 9) also has some intriguing visual elements, not least its poster, which echoes the whitewashed advertising ideals of 1950s America, but in this case features the mixed race couple, an African prince (David Oyelowo) and British office worker (Rosamund Pike), whose love affair is the subject of the film. In asking who is marrying beneath their station, the plot had more potential for impact than Loving, a US film of similar ilk released last year, but it’s ultimately let down by plodding storytelling. And who the hell came up with that title. Good luck trying to google that, future generations. Then again, thanks to Brexit the

UK won’t exist for much longer. Settle for one in ten ELSEWHERE, the CPH: Dox festival – along with its opening film, the Iggy Pop documentary Gimme Danger (72, March 9) – is previewed on page G4 and will still be going on when our next issue comes out. Due to an oversight, Zero Days (77), Fist Fight (Not Released Yet), Gold (49), La La Land (93) and Operation Avalanche (69), which were all released on February 23, were previewed in our last issue. Obviously, with the Oscars this Sunday, La La Land is keenly anticipated and should please all but the most ardent of musical haters – so 10 percent of the population then. Still, 90 percent of potential cinema-goers probably hate superhero films as well, but you show me a movie studio who wouldn’t settle for grabbing one out of every ten of their potential customers. Let’s hope for the sake of Trainspotting that its sequel doesn’t end up making more people hate the whole franchise. Pirates of the Caribbean, The Matrix, and don’t get me started on Indiana Jones – it wouldn’t be the first time that a legacy has been destroyed.

ZERO DAYS

DOCUMENTARY OF THE MONTH FEB 22nd-28th: We present the Oscar-winning documentarian Alex Gibney’s latest film ‘Zero Days’: A highly relevant docu-thriller about the dangers of modern cyber warfare. 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

INOUT:TV

24 February - 9 March 2017

THE COPENHAGEN POST | CPHPOST.DK

SILENT NIGHTS TV2, FEB 26, 23:15 (ALSO DR3, FEB 27, 23:00)

PICK OF THE WEEK

THEY NEVER hang around when it’s Danish. Ahead of the Oscars, watch the Danish nominee in the Live Action Short Film category, Silent Nights, a tale about a Copenhagen girl Inger (Malene Beltoft Olsen) volunteering at a housing shelter, who meets and falls in love with an illegal immigrant from Ghana (Prince Yaw Appiah).

We guess they called the film ‘Silent Nights’ for a reason

THE EVER-POPULAR Dustin Hoffman and Judi Dench, star as neighbours in Roald Dahl’s Esio Trot, a child-friendly romantic TV movie tailor-made for the British festive season. Neighbours also feature in Israeli-made The Settlers (SVT2, Feb 27, 22:15), which takes us inside the world’s most controversial community. The subject of Last Whites of the East End (DR2, Feb 26, 20:00) might have similar gripes,

COMING SOON Big girls, little guys

Directed by Aske Bang, the film is the sixth Academy Award nomination for producer Kim Magnusson. Meanwhile, there’s also a chance to watch Magnusson’s Helium (DR3, Feb 26, 23:55), the last Danish film to win the award, although perhaps annoyingly it starts at exactly the same time as TV2’s live coverage from the red carpet, which is followed by the ceremony at 02:30 (highlights show: DR3, Feb 27, 23:00). LESLIE HAWENER

and it was criticised for portraying ethnic diversity negatively. From the death of the cockney to the murder of Kitty Genovese and The Witness (DR2, Feb 28, 20:45), the crime that divided New York in 1964 after multiple witnesses saw her die but did nothing. Then again, thousands enjoy the brutality of Palio (DR2, Feb 28, 23:50), a horserace in the centre of Siena that sounds like Death Race 2000.

Elsewhere, the Danish Melodi GP (DR1, Feb 25, 20:00) – among those competing to go to Eurovision is British X Factor star Sara Vidoo (DR3, March 1, 21:00), who now has her own series – is followed by MGP (DR1, March 4, 20:00), the junior version; complement the Brit Awards (DR3, Feb 24, 21:50) with a trip to Inside British Vogue (DR3, March 7, 19:50); and who doesn’t like a bit of Madness in the Fast Lane (DR3, Feb 24, 20:10)? (BH)

SVT2, Feb 26, 22:15 Road Dahl’s Esio Trot

MARRIAGE, motherhood, and murder: the HBO adaption of Liane Moriarty’s famous novel Big Little Lies (Metacritic: 77, out on HBO Nordic) promises us entertainment and intrigue. Located in a Californian suburb, the series focuses on the secrets of first grader mothers played by Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, and Shailene Woodley.

The “storyline mixes female rivalry with solidarity, showing how intense experiences can bond women together”, praised the Guardian. Staying in the suburbs, Drew Barrymore plays a cannibalistic mother in the Netflix comedy series Santa Clarita Diet (67) – a reminder that marriage is about making compromises.

Whether an amorous defence attorney (Katherine Heigl) can compromise with the accused is examined in the CBS series Doubt (61) by the producers of Grey’s Anatomy. Who would love an X-man? Well, it helps if he’s played by Dan Stevens, who had legions of fans as Matthew Crawley in Downton Abbey.

ALSO NEW

Legion (82) comes highly recommended, as does The New Edition: Story (76), a miniseries about Bobby Brown’s childhood years, and FEUD: Bette and Joan (79), a promising new anthology series inspired by the backstage fights between Joan Crawford (Jessica Lange) and Bette Davis (Susan Sarandon). LESLIE HAWENER

FLICKR/ RENES

SAVE THE DREAM

MARTIN PETTITT

THE SAINTS shocked Man United at Wembley to win their only major trophy 41 years ago, so can history repeat itself in the League Cup Final? And can Barca claw back a four-goal deficit against PSG in the CL? Elsewhere, the pick of the EPL games is Liverpool vs Arsenal (3+, March 4, 17:30) and there’s a live NBA game on every night on TV2 Sport. (BH)

SPORT OF THE WEEK K6, Feb 26, 17:30 League Cup Final: Man Utd vs Southampton

3+, March 8, 20:45 Champions League last 16: Barcelona vs PSG

FILM OF THE WEEK TV2, Feb 26, 21:00 The Imitation Game

TV3,Feb 26, 21:00 X Men: Days of Future Past

SVT2, March 9,22:20 My Way

TV2 Sport, Feb 25, 23:00 NBA: Double Bill

OSCAR weekend brings the best out of the commercial channels with 2015 nominee The Imitation Game and X Men: Days of Future Past leading the charge. Also recommended are Carnage (SVT1, Feb 28, 23:00), The Good Lie (DR2, Feb 24, 20:00), Fury (TV3, March 5, 21:00), How I live now (DR3, March 5, 23:05) and My Way, a biopic about its French writer. (BH)

BRITISH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE IN DENMARK

EVENTS

Harnessing the Power of

THE CLOUD

“Opportunities and Challenges in a Globalised World” HILTON COPENHAGEN 22 MARCH 2017

A dependable, engaged and inclusive “Cloud” is fundamentally altering the way Governments, Businesses and People interact.

CLOUD for

Early adoption in healthcare, disaster relief and defence are already providing benefits to society. What does it mean for YOU? Speakers include: Brad Smith

Giovanni Buttarelli

Mike Stone

Moderator Thomas Bernt Henriksen

President & Chief Legal Officer Microsoft Corporation

European Data Protection Supervisor European Commission

ALL

Chief Digital and Information Officer Ministry of Defence, United Kingdom

Chief Debate Editor, Børsen

For more information: www.bccd.dk

MAIN EVENT SPONSOR