Denmark joins calls for European ‘iron dome’ air defence 

Denmark is reportedly considering teaming up with Poland, Germany, the UK, and potentially other countries to build an “iron dome” style air defence similar to the defence system which defended Israel from Iranian missile attacks over the weekend.   

“There is no reason why Europe should not develop its own shield against rockets and drones. It doesn’t take much imagination to understand that we can also be in the danger zone,” Donald Tusk, Poland’s prime minister, said after a meeting with his Danish counterpart, Mette Frederiksen, in Warsaw. 

According to Tusk, Denmark supports Poland’s plans for the so-called European Sky Shield Initiative, having joined the collaboration in February last year.

The project currently involves 21 countries.

Danish vocabulary: en jernkuppel – an iron dome

Queen Margrethe celebrates birthday behind closed doors

Denmark’s Queen Margrethe will be celebrating her birthday behind closed doors on Tuesday, in her first such celebration since she abdicated on January 14th this year. 

This means she will not step onto the balcony at the Amalienborg Palace to greet the cheering crowds, or appear in public at all. 

He birthday, however, remains an official flag day, meaning Denmark’s Dannebrog flag will be hoisted all over the country. The Royal Life Guards Music Corps will also perform a small concert during the changing of the guard at 12 o’clock at Fredensborg Castle, where Margrethe is currently living. 

A number of Copenhagen elderly care homes will also be provided with free cake, following a tradition brought in by the Copenhagen’s baker’s guild, Bagerlaug, during the pandemic in 2020. 

Danish vocabulary: bag lukkede døre – behind closed doors 

Case starts in London on whether Sanjay Shah defrauded Danish tax agency

Lawyers for the Danish Customs and Tax Administration (Skat) were in London on Monday on the first day of their civil case against the hedge fund trader Sanjay Shah, who they accuse of defrauding the Danish state of some £1.44bn in dividend tax refunds, in what they said was a “meticulously pre-planned” operation. 

The civil case is running parallel to a criminal trial which began last month in Denmark, for which Shah has been extradited from Dubai. Shah has denied all wrongdoing. 

Nigel Jones, Shah’s lead lawyer told the court in a written argument before the trial that Shah had “held a positive, honest belief that the trades were valid”. 

Danish vocabulary: den danske statskasse – the Danish treasury

Denmark’s Jagger burger chain in name dispute with Rolling Stones frontman 

The Danish burger chain Jagger, which operates 18 restaurants in Copenhagen, is fighting back against attempts by the Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger to stop them using the name for their restaurants. 

According to Denmark’s Børsen newspaper the burger chain, which was founded by the Michelin star chef Rasmus Oubæk in 2016, has been fighting for the name against Musidor, the company which manages the trademarks and names of the rock band.

According to the newspaper, the first ruling from the EU’s patent and trademark authority went in Musidor’s favour but that the restaurant chain has now appealed, arguing that Mick Jagger is not using his name actively as a trademark and cannot therefore stop others calling themselves or their companies by the name. 

Danish vocabulary: burgerkæde – burger chain