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TODAY IN DENMARK

Today in Denmark: A roundup of the latest news on Monday

Copenhagen Metro back running after outage, Danish PM condemns Iranian drone attack, new agreement on suicide prevention, and more news from Denmark on Monday.

Today in Denmark: A roundup of the latest news on Monday
The entry to the M3 and M4 lines of the Copenhagen Metro. Photo: Ida Marie Odgaard/Ritzau Scanpix

Copenhagen Metro out of service on Monday morning 

All trains on the Copenhagen Metro’s M3 and M4 lines were out of service on Monday morning between 5.30am and 6.45am due to a technical issue, the metro said on its homepage on Monday. By 6.45am, the trains were running to plan. 

Danish vocabulary: efter planen – according to plan

Denmark’s government announces agreement on suicide prevention 

Denmark’s government on Sunday announced that it had struck a deal with all the other parties in parliament over a plan to better prevent suicides. 

Under the agreed plan, the government hopes to reduce the number of people who commit suicide by a third by, among other measures, increasing the capacity of Denmark’s suicide prevention clinics by 40 percent, improving the follow-up and monitoring of people at risk of suicide. 

Currently, around 600 people commit suicide in Denmark a year, a number which has been broadly stable since 2010. 

“Suicide is a terrible tragedy for the individual and for those closest to them who tragically lose a family member or a close friend,”  Sophie Løhde Jacobsen, Denmark’s health minister, said in a press release. “That is why we must do more to prevent suicide and suicide attempts, and with the action plan we are putting in place better help for people in deep crisis.” 

Danish vocabulary: at forebygge – to prevent 

Danish prime minister condemns Iran’s attack on Israel 

Denmark’s prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, condemned Iran’s drone attack on Israel on Sunday, warning that it would worsen regional conflicts .

“This creates a risk of greater conflict in the Middle East. My thoughts are with the many who have feared for their safety throughout the night,” she said on X. 

Iran launched more than 300 drones and missiles at Israel on Saturday night, an attack it said was a response to Israel’s attack on an Iranian diplomatic building in Damascus on April 1st. The Damascus strike killed a senior member of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards, as well as eight other officers.

On Friday evening, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs wrote on its website that there was an increased risk of military escalation and attacks against Israel. The situation was described as “unpredictable”. It is advising against all travel to both Iran and Lebanon.

Danish vocabulary: frarådes – is advised against

Nine out of ten cancer patients ‘treated on time’ 

Over 91 percent of cancer patients in Denmark now receive treatment within the maximum time promised by the country’s regional health authorities, according to new figures. 

According to the data, in 7.2 percent of the cases, treatment is not started before the deadline because of the state of the patients’ health or because they do not want treatment. In a further 1.2 percent of cases they have to wait longer dur to capacity shortages, but are informed about their rights and options, and in only 0.3 percent of cases, are patients’ rights not respected. 

Karin Friis Bach (R), who chairs the Health Committee for Danish Regions, which represents Denmark’s five regions, celebrated the “fantastically good numbers” . 

“That tells me that we have good cancer treatment, fantastically good cancer treatment in Denmark, and it’s really nice to get confirmation of that on the back of the other stories that we’ve recently been hearing,” she told the Ritzau newswire. 

Danish vocabulary: kræftbehandling – cancer treatment

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TODAY IN DENMARK

Today in Denmark: A roundup of the latest news on Thursday

Leading Social Democrat interrupts May Day speech to address protesters, King and Queen to take late summer tour on royal yacht, defence minister says no ban on buying Israeli air defence, and other news from Denmark on Thursday.

Today in Denmark: A roundup of the latest news on Thursday

Top Social Democrat breaks off May Day speech to address protesters 

A leading Social Democrat minister, Peter Hummelgaard, was forced to interrupt his May 1st speech at the Fælledparken park in Copenhagen, as he was being drowned out by the booing and shouting from pro-Palestine demonstrators. 

“I don’t know if everyone out there can hear it, but there are some individuals who have come forward to drown out my speech,” he said, before addressing the protesters.

“I understand that you are upset. I understand the frustration. A ceasefire and, in the longer term, a peaceful two-state solution is needed. You have a right to be here with your opinion. But I do too,” he said. 

“I do not believe that this should destroy the democratic debate in Denmark. We all have to agree that Jews in Denmark must be able to live safely and securely,” he said.

It is somewhat unusual for the May 1st Social Democrat speech in Fælledparken to be given by a minister, as the speech is normally given by the party chair, or if the party is in power, by the prime minister.

Danish vocabulary: en våbenhvile – a ceasefire

Danish Royal Couple to visit, Assens, Veijle and Bornholm on summer cruise 

Denmark’s Royal Court has announced in a press release that King Frederik X and Queen Mary will take a late-summer cruise on their royal ship the Dannebrog, visiting the islands of Bornholm and Ærø, and the town of Assens on Funen. The cruise will take place between August 19th and August 22nd. 

In Assens, the mayor, Søren Steen Andersen, said he was looking forward to the visit, which coincides with the city’s 500th anniversary.

“We are looking forward to a visit from the Royal Couple. It will be a fantastic day when we will have the opportunity to show some of the many places, projects and development initiatives we are proud of,” he said. 

Danish vocabulary: Dannebrogstogter – Dannebrog cruises

Defence Minister says new defence deal allows purchase of Israeli air defence 

A new sub agreement under Denmark’s cross-party defense deal does not forbid Denmark from buying a new air defense system from Israel, the country’s defence minister Troels Lund Poulsen, who is calling for a “completely open discussion” over the system, told Ritzau.

“We have not said that we cannot acquire it from Israel. There is nothing about that in the agreement. Nor is it the case that we have said that it must be Israeli,” Lund Poulsen said.

He points out that under the sub agreement the funds allocated for the system had been increased from 19 billion to between 19 billion and 25 billion kroner. 

The leader of the Socialist Left party, Pia Olsen Dyhr, has said that the wording of the agreement makes it “quite difficult” to buy an Israeli system, noting that it stipulates that “Nato interoperability must be taken into account”. 

Danish vocabulary: at udelukke – to exclude  

Denmark’s justice minister seeks to extend police powers to encrypted chats

Denmark’s justice minister has asked the country’s Criminal Justice Committee to investigate whether police powers legally allow them to crack encrypted digital chat such as WhatsApp. 

Peter Hummelgaard wrote in a press release that it was “absolutely crucial that the police get the necessary tools to investigate and solve crime”.

“I am pleased that a number of the country’s most competent forces will now assess whether the law gives the police the necessary powers to search, intercept and seize [chats] when the investigation takes place digitally and on new communication platforms,” he said. 

Danish vocabulary: krypterede – encrypted 

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