Today’s headlines – Monday, Dec 3

A rundown of the stories making the biggest news this morning

Nepotism claims dog culture minister
The culture minister, Uffe Elbæk (Radikale), has apologised for spending 180,000 kroner on five official dinners and meetings at Akademiet for Utæmmet Kreativitet, an art school where his husband is employed, and where he himself was a member of the board. PM Helle Thorning-Schmidt and Radikale leader Margrethe Vestager have voiced their support for Elbæk, but the opposition, as well as government ally Enhedslisten, are pushing for further explanation. According to Berlingske newspaper, the culture ministry will meet today and discuss the issue further. – Berlingske

British rejected assassination plan
Former PET agent Morten Storm is claiming that the British intelligence agencies MI5 and MI6 turned down a joint CIA and PET plot because it could lead to the assassination of al-Qaida leader Anwar al-Awlaki. The mission hinged on a Croatian woman, who was to marry al-Awlaki, being equipped with a tracking device without her knowledge in a bid to locate the suspected terrorist. Neither the justice minister, Morten Bødskov, nor PET chief Jakob Scharf have commented on the plot to assassinate al-Awlaki, who was killed in an American drone attack in September 2011. – Jyllands-Posten 

Britain refuses to deliver evidence against Danish soldier
Britain refuses to hand over video evidence that could be vital in proving that a Danish officer wrongfully ordered the 2011 attack of Afghani citizens. According to military experts, the evidence shows that the Danish officer did not adequately ensure that a group of Afghanis were Taliban, before ordering a British helicopter to fire on them. It turned out afterwards that they were civilians. One person was killed and two other injured in the incident. – Politiken

Wind industry taking South Africa by storm
Danish wind-turbine producers look to have successfully tapped into the South African market. The three Danish wind-turbine producers, Vestas, Siemens Wind Power and LM Wind Power are on the brink of a billion kroner deal involving the sale of wind-turbines in South Africa. The three companies have been commissioned by the South African government as part of its ambitious sustainable energy plan to produce 20,000 MW of electricity by 2030. – Børsen





  • How internationals can benefit from joining trade unions

    How internationals can benefit from joining trade unions

    Being part of a trade union is a long-established norm for Danes. But many internationals do not join unions – instead enduring workers’ rights violations. Find out how joining a union could benefit you, and how to go about it.

  • Internationals in Denmark rarely join a trade union

    Internationals in Denmark rarely join a trade union

    Internationals are overrepresented in the lowest-paid fields of agriculture, transport, cleaning, hotels and restaurants, and construction – industries that classically lack collective agreements. A new analysis from the Workers’ Union’s Business Council suggests that internationals rarely join trade unions – but if they did, it would generate better industry standards.

  • Novo Nordisk overtakes LEGO as the most desirable future workplace amongst university students

    Novo Nordisk overtakes LEGO as the most desirable future workplace amongst university students

    The numbers are especially striking amongst the 3,477 business and economics students polled, of whom 31 percent elected Novo Nordisk as their favorite, compared with 20 percent last year.