Krarup apologises for Maori rant

Marie Krarup (Dansk Folkeparti) has finally apologised for her blog in which she insulted the Maori powhiri ritual which greeted her during her trip to New Zealand with parliament’s defence committee, Forsvarsudvalg. Krarup wrote on her Facebook page that she was “sorry if anyone had been offended” after pressure from DF leaders and the trade minister, Pia Olsen Dyhr (Socialistisk Folkeparti), who said that Denmark would take a financial hit from business partners in New Zealand. DF also formally apologised for the remarks. – DR

Schools: Teachers should work more

There is broad consensus amongst the nation's headteachers for getting rid of the teachers’ collective bargaining agreement and getting them to work more, according to a new survey. The survey, compiled by Jyllands-Posten newspaper, showed that 66 percent of the 672 headteachers contacted by the newspaper want their teachers to use a greater portion of their work hours teaching, while 58 percent of them agree with local government association KL’s demands to scrap the teachers’ current labour agreement. – Jyllands-Posten

Corydon’s man rewarded for trimming wage agreements

One of Finance Minister Bjarne Corydon’s (Socialdemokraterne) right hand men, Niels Gotfredsen, who is head of modernisation authority, Moderniseringsstyrelsen, is eligible for a personal 250,000 kroner bonus every year depending how well he performs in his job. In 2013, Gotfredsen’s central goal is to “free up resources” through changing the collective bargaining agreements of public employees. Anders Bondo Christensen, the head of the teachers’ association Danmarks Lærerforening, said it was “grotesque” that someone taking part in the lockout negotiations could gain personally by sabotaging negotiations. – Politiken

Police won't stop gangs, most believe

A majority of Danes don't believe that the police will be able to take care of the rising gang related violence within the next two to three months, according to a new survey. The survey, undertaken by YouGov for metroXpress newspaper, revealed that 65 percent of Danes don’t have faith that the police will be able to curb the gang shootings that have riddled the capital region in recent months. Michael Hviid Jacobsen, a gang expert from Aalborg University, argued that there have never been more gang members than now, despite police imprisoning 60 members in the last month. – MetroXpress