SHARE
COPY LINK
For members

TODAY IN DENMARK

Today in Denmark: A roundup of the news on Monday

Denmark slow to deliver tanks to Ukraine, Arctic patrol ships re-enter service, warm weather forecast for Easter and more news from Denmark on Monday.

Today in Denmark: A roundup of the news on Monday
A Danish football fan during the men's national team's friendly match against Switzerland in Copenhagen on Saturday. The match ended 0-0. Photo: Liselotte Sabroe/Ritzau Scanpix

Denmark delivers 30 of 100 promised tanks to Ukraine 

Around a third of the Leopard-1 tanks which Denmark at the start of 2023 said it would give to Ukraine have so far been delivered, newspaper Jyllands-Posten reported yesterday based on figures from the German defence ministry.

The Danish ministry did not provide any information other than to say that “many” of the tanks have been delivered, the newspaper writes.

The tanks were primarily older models owned by the Danish military and had been stored in Germany. They needed servicing and renovation before being sent to Ukraine, but technical problems have hindered the delivery schedule.

Vocabulary: kampvogn – tank

Easter could bring temperatures of up to 20 degrees

The school Easter holidays have already begun, and while the annual holiday falls relatively early this year – coming at the end of March rather than in April – the weather could be surprisingly warm.

Weather on Monday will be relatively cool interspersed by showers, but warmer weather could make a strong appearance by the weekend, meteorologist Martin Lindberg with national met office DMI told newswire Ritzau.

There will be “a short period with dry and stable weather in which it will be a bit warmer” around the Easter holiday weekend, Lindberg said.

Rainy weather with cold temperatures at night is expected to retreat by midweek, opening the way for some pleasant dry weather just in time for Maundy Thursday, which is a public holiday in Denmark.

Vocabulary: mestendels – mostly

Denmark’s Arctic patrol ships sailing again after technical problems

Two Danish Navy (Søværnet) patrol ships, which normally operate around Greenland, have had a sailing ban lifted after their backup engines were discovered on February 1st to be malfunctional.

The ships are the newest vessels in the Danish fleet and are designed to enforce Danish sovereignty year-round in the Arctic waters around Greenland and the Faroe Islands. They can break ice of up to 80 centimetres in thickness.

The sailing bans were reportedly lifted on March 17th.

Vocabulary: at bryde is – to break ice

West Jutland train cancellations

A number of rail services in West Jutland have been affected by cancellations this morning, with the section between Esbjerg and Ribe particularly affected.

Up to 25 departures have been cancelled throughout the day, according to information on local operator Arriva’s website.

Broadcaster DR’s traffic service P4 Trafik Syddanmark said in a post on social media X that the cancellations are “due to equipment issues”.

Rail replacement buses are in operation on the affected routes but delays are likely.

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.
For members

TODAY IN DENMARK

Today in Denmark: A roundup of the news on Monday

Storm caused fears of Børsen collapse, decision could be made over military service for women, record number of diabetes cases and more news from Denmark on Monday.

Today in Denmark: A roundup of the news on Monday

Police closed area around Børsen amid fears of collapse 

Police cordoned off an area around the burnt-out old stock exchange Børsen in central Copenhagen on Sunday night, due to fears the damaged section of the building was about to collapse.

The closed area was opened again around 10pm, however.

Stormy weather in Copenhagen last night was the cause of concerns that scaffolding around the building could be toppled, thereby causing the building to fall. But the danger passed as the weather calmed, police said.

Vocabulary: stormskade – storm damage

Politicians set for talks over military service

Negotiations over whether to extend Denmark’s military service obligations to women are set to enter a key stage.

Two of the parties that are in the group that determines military spending are strongly against military service for women. This means that the government – which favours the change – cannot adopt the policy without breaking an existing parliamentary alliance on the area.

The two parties in question – Liberal Alliance and Denmark Democrats – are set to speak with Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen today in an attempt to reach a compromise.

Vocabulary: forligskreds – group of parliamentary parties that have signed formal deal to determine state spending and policy on a given area

Record number diagnosed with diabetes 

A total of 25,557 people were diagnosed with diabetes in Denmark last year, a record number, the diabetes charity Diabetesforeningen said in a press statement.

The increase is primarily attributed to type-2 diabetes diagnoses, with 24,650 type-2 cases compared to 907 of type 1.

Some 360,000 people in Denmark are currently living with diabetes, but that number is expected to reach 467,000 by 2030.

“This is partly because the population of Denmark is getting older and thereby gets more diseases,” Diabetesforeningen CEO Claus Richter said to newswire Ritzau.

“Additionally, not enough people are aware how much of a difference diet and exercise make in relation to preventing diabetes,” he said.

US troops to mount exercise on Danish Baltic island

US troops are planning to take part in a military exercise on the island of Bornholm next month, marking the third time in three years US soldiers have trained on Danish soil.

Denmark’s defence minister, Troels Lund Poulsen, revealed the planned exercise, which will take place between May 1st and May 7th in a briefing to the Danish parliament’s defence committee.

As part of the exercise, US troops will ship an unnamed weapons system to Bornholm Airport, and then set it up in a military exercise area, but would not then fire any shots or missiles. 

“The exercise has a military training aspect, but also sends a signal about the solidarity of the alliance, about American commitment to security in Europe and in our own immediate area,” Lund Poulsen said in the briefing.

 

SHOW COMMENTS