Left-wing party opposed to mining project wins Greenland vote

The left-wing environmentalist party Inuit Ataqatigiit, which is opposed to a controversial mining project, won a clear victory in Greenland’s parliamentary election, according to results released this morning.

With 36.6 percent of the vote, Inuit Ataqatigiit (IA) was ahead of Siumut, a social democratic party that has dominated politics in the Danish territory since it gained autonomy in 1979.

The election campaign for parliament’s 31 seats has also centred on fishing, the main driver of Greenland’s economy.

And at a time when young Greenlanders are reconnecting with their Inuit roots and questioning their Danish colonial heritage, social issues and cultural identity have also been part of the debate.

A strong local economy is crucial if the island wants to gain full independence from Copenhagen someday.

More on the Greenland election result here.

READ ALSO: What you need to know about the elections in Greenland

Amateur footballer given prison sentence for assaulting female referee

A 29-year-old man playing in the amateur-level Serie 4 football league has been sentenced to 20 days in prison for assaulting an 18-year-old female referee, broadcaster DR reports.

The player was given a 10-minute ‘sinbin’ (an additional punishment for receiving a yellow card at this level of the game in Denmark) for dissent and reacted by pushing the referee, spitting towards her and calling her a “whore” as he left the field, according to the report.

The Danish Football Association (DBU) last month presented a plan to boost the safety of officials at grass roots level, partly in reaction to the incident, which occurred last September.

The player, who denied the charges against him, was not present at the court in Sønderborg. In addition to the criminal sentence, he will face a six-match ban from playing.

Record number of trucks crossed Great Belt Bridge last month

The number of lorries driven across the Great Belt Bridge, the lengthy fixed link between Zealand and Funen, hit record levels in March.

A total of 149,712 trucks made the crossing, beating the previous record from October 2019, operating company Sund & Bælt said in a statement.

Freight traffic on the bridge has been impacted less by the Covid-19 crisis than private transport, according to the company.